Cannonball
by KnyteMare
Summary: Set four years after the first movie. Dom is on the run, and Letty and the team stayed in California. Enter Emma, a quirky, laid-back bartender from Boston. Drinks aren't the only thing she can serve up though. femslash.
1. Chapter 1

So, I'm not the biggest Fast and Furious fan, but I remember the first movie, faintly, from when I was younger, and I just saw the fourth movie in theaters (haven't seen the second or third movies). Lemme tell you... the main reason I went was because I absolutely love Michelle Rodriguez, sooo disappointment! Other then that, it was good. Anyhow, this is set after the first one, but nothing really to do with any of the others, and I don't know where I'm going with this, or whatever, but I came up with this Letty/OC storyline.

And yes, it will contain content of the female/female kind. If that's not your thing, hey... no one's making you read this. Go write your own story however you want. This is mine.

I do not own any rights or associations of Fast and Furious. If you have any questions about why something is how it is, either review or PM me, and I'll get back to you on it when I can.

* * *

Street racing is big in Southern California. The Los Angeles culture is no exception. Races are held every night, if you know where to find them.

Easier said than done.

It had taken Emma nearly three months to finally track down a good crowd to race with, Cannonball Runs of course. Problem is, they don't do bike races exclusively. Most people would keep looking for a rally that did.

She always was too stubborn for her own good, though.

* * *

"We have a real treat for you today," KC called over the large crowd. A lot of people couldn't hear, but the racers and those closest to the middle did. "Fresh meat! Not just any newbie, this punk doesn't race a car."

There was a mix of cheers and boo's. It wasn't completely unusual for an open road racer to be hospitalized with a car. Riding a bike was a death wish.

"What do you think? Rudy have a chance?"

He recieved a mixed response. The rider in question was leaning against a blue, black and white 2003 Yamaha racing bike. Decked in black cargo pants, black boots, and a loose fitting leather jacket, their blue and white helmet was on, visor reflecting the streetlights away from their face. At right near 5'6'', and not particularly bulky, 'Rudy' didn't seem too imposing of an opponent.

"Well lets just see what this East Coast cracker has got, right?"

There was a shout of cheers.

"That's what I like to hear! Starting line's finish line baby, you all know what the route is. Start them up!"

Five engines started up in an off sequence.

KC had moved to just in front of the row of cars, off to the side, ready to flag them started.

Holding the clutch, Rudy shifted down to first and revved the bike.

KC's arms went up.

* * *

"You want in chica? Year, make and model. What's your ride?"

"2003 Yamaha, YZF-R1."

"That's not a car."

"I know."

"We race cars. We don't have no bike races."

"What's that have to do with anything?"

"You sure you want to join in?"

"Is it a disadvantage or something?"

"Hey kid, this is a contact sport."

"So? People have died in cars plenty."

"That's a risk they're willing to take."

"And this is one I'm willing to take."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes."

"I dunno."

"Hey, it's my life."

"True."

"Yeah. And anyways, I bet the fastest street car you have, the speedometer tops out at 160 or something, right?"

"Or something."

"Plus nitrous that's, what... up near 200 miles an hour?"

"Roughly."

"But they're not gonna use that on an open road. Too many cars, and you can't cut a turn going anything near that fast. They might save it until the end, and only if it's a straight-way to the finish line."

"That's true."

"I know. My bike tops off at 186, and that's without nitrous. Plus, where the average car is five or so feet wide, my bike's hardly two. I can manuever where they can't. They have to knock cars out of the way, I can ride right between them. With that alone I can make better time than any of them."

"Which makes it unfair to the drivers."

"Yeah. But outside forces that don't effect cars effects bikes. Take a bump at an odd angle, a strong gust of wind. A car keeps going no problem, a biker can wreck."

"Also true. So you sure about this then?"

"Very."

"Alright chica. Tomorrow night. Outskirts of the east side of town."

"Thanks."

"One more thing. I'll need a name."

"A name?"

"Yeah. People want to know who they're racing against."

A nickname she had picked up back in high school came to her mind instantly.

"Rudy."

"Okay then Rudy. Nine o'clock. Don't be late, or you won't be allowed to line up. Pay in is usually between 1k and 5k, winner takes all."

Emma nodded with a grin.

"Perfect."

* * *

KC's arms dropped and, like a gunshot, the four cars and one bike took off nearly instantly. The cars seemed to have a faster start time than the biker, but a few seconds in and the bike was tagging the back of the leader. The Nissan changed lanes, nearly clipping the back end of a Saturn traveling in the lane next to it. Veering to the other side of the slow car, the biker accelerated, pulling even with the Nissan before passing it.

After several more seconds, all the racers had turned the corner and were out of sight.

* * *

Emma heard the other driver pulling up towards her, and she didn't put it passed them to bump her, even on a bike. With that firmly in her head, she shifted into fourth gear, shooting forward between a thin, three foot gap of the front end of a mini-van and the back end of a truck, making the gap bigger between first and second.

_This is too easy,_ she thought. The next turn was coming quickly, another right, and she cut across the two right most lanes, taking it close to the sidewalk, before cutting back across to the middle lane, for the left turn she knew was ahead.

"Fuck me," she hissed, seeing the red light. She slowed down only slightly, and cut into oncoming traffic, expertly weaving in and out of a handful of cars. She stayed in the western bound breakdown lane for the corner, only to start weaving in and out of cars again, to get back into her side of traffic.

The next two turns were rights, and it would bring the group three blocks behind where the race had started. She glanced into the motorcycle mirror and saw that the Nissan was only three car lengths behind her.

_Damn, this guy's good,_ she thought.

"Not as good as me," she said under her breath, smirking. Opening the throttle, the gap grew a bit wider, and she slowed down only marginally to take a wide turn. Any sharper and she would have had to decelerate, but it was an fair sacrifice she thought. For the next block she stayed in the outside two lanes, before cutting back across for a sharper corner than the previous one. She knew by the sound screeching that the Nissan wasn't out of the race yet.

_Oh shit. Straight away._

She shifted smoothly into fifth, before revving the bike. Kyle was going to kill her if he ever found out.

She was passing cars left and right, keeping a steady speed. She heard a crash in the distance, and she looked into the mirror again. The second place driver had finally turned the corner, side swiping a civilian car. She was nearly a block ahead of the car, but without nitrous, she would have to keep going. Coming from the outside of town, traffic was thinner for the last bit than any of the other parts of the race.

_One block left. Come on Em, you have this._

She heard what she could only consider a small explosion, and she knew her time was up. With the finish line merely a hundred yards away, the Nissan was gaining quickly. Throwing away her last reserves, Emma shifted into sixth, and the bike roared in her ears as she opened the throttle nearly full force.

Hearing another crash, much closer, she cut infront of a Mac truck, shielding her bike from the wreckage. Seeing the clog of people and cars ahead, the little traffic that there was was turning off for a different route. She didn't let off her throttle until she blew through where she had started, adrenaline pumping through her veins.

_Holy shit, I almost died,_ she thought, not without reason. The Nissan had screeched to a halt right after her, and the pair had left several more skid marks than were already on the road.

"Yeah! Give it up for my kid Rudy!"

If Emma hadn't been sitting on her bike still, there was a high possibility she would have been knocked over.

_Racing in LA is so bomb,_ she thought with a grin.

"Oh chica, I'm sorry for doubting you," Carlos said once he got close.

Emma shrugged.

"No big," she said with a grin behind the face shield.

She looked over to the Nissan, the driver already out of the car. A thin guy with dark hair and grey-blue eyes was looking at the drivers side, assessing the slight damage.

"Woo Vince, Rudy got you good," Carlos said, moving from Emma to the Nissan driver.

"Yeah. Good race," he said grudgingly after a minute, when he turned from the side of his car.

It had been a good race. But Emma saw how hard it was for him to put his ego aside.

"You too."

The taller guy just nodded back, turning back to his car.

"Don't take it personal. Vince just hates losing in general," Carlos suggested. "Here you are Rudy. Don't spend it all in one place."

Emma took the envelope from Carlos, looking inside of it for a moment. Ten grand in one night. Not a bad pay off.

"Thanks. See you Friday night."

"What chica? Friday? No, we race every night. See you tomorrow."

"I have a 9-5 job," she explained. "Four nights a week," she added afterwards.

The hispanic man shook his head.

"Well... you do what you gotta. You have my number, just call, I'll tell you where next time."

Emma nodded.

"Sure thing."

"Vamanos Eduardo, come on. Later chica."

The woman nodded.

_Well, that was enough excitement for one night. Better grab some food and get home before Kyle goes spastic._

She pushed the bike through the crowd before starting it up. She drove off at a leisurely pace, haste of racing gone.

* * *

"What do you think?" Vince asked when Mia and Letty walked over.

"You just got your ass handed to you," the latino woman answered for the pair.

"I meant about the car," Vince glared at his friend. She crouched down, feeling over the wrecked side.

"Well, the only damage is to the body work," she said after a minute. "Including a new paint job, you should be ready within a few days."

Vince nodded.

"That's what I figured."

"Well then, why'd you ask for my input?"

"To see if I missed anything."

Letty gave a short nod, clicking her tongue.

"So where's this kid? Anyone with the balls to drive a bike like that is worth meeting."

"Just left."

Letty nodded again, adding a shrug.

"Maybe next time, then."

* * *

My current muse for the story:  
www . imdb . com/media/rm3607009536/nm0735442  
Absolutely gorgeous, is she not? Do remember to remove the spaces.


	2. Chapter 2

Here is the second chapter (clearly). I know, it is ungodly fast for me, I pretty much ignored all my work that I needed to get done for yesterday (but somehow I did finish it? weird). Anyhow, my muse is still going real strong, so we'll see how long it lasts.

I apologize for my lack of details in the race scene... it's not something I generally write, nor something I have experience with. Nor is my knowledge of cars particularly great. Lastly, I live just south of Quebec, Canada, so my second language is French. Je ne sais pas espangnol très bien. J'ai regret.

* * *

Ever since Dom left, Letty was a bit different. With her injuries, and Vince and Jessie's close brush with death, the group was far from skipping out of the country anytime soon. As soon as she was released from the hospital, nearly a week after being admitted, her mother had gotten sick.

Originally the group had made plans to meet down in Mexico when everyone was ready. Between her still healing body, her friend's slow recovery, and helping to get her mother back on her feet, finding Dom was the furthest thing from her mind.

Mia shared the occasional letter with them, they knew he was fine and still out there. That was enough for her; if he was okay, then she could just worry about the problems closer to home that she had more control over.

Oddly, other than the lack of Dom's presence and the hijacks, her life did not change too much. When she was not racing, or at a party, she could be found in the garage, working away on some car, with her family, or at Mia's with the rest of their team.

The cops had come around at first, looking for Dom. But after a few weeks when it became apparent that he was not coming back, they had finally left.

Most people would think it strange, how quickly she seemed to get over Dom. They did grow up together; his sister had been her best friend since they were both babies, and she had had a clear interest in him since she was ten and he was in high school.

However, it was both more and less complicated than anyone knew.

* * *

Three days after the race Letty and Vince were adding the final decal to the side of the freshly-painted Nissan. It looked like new, and if one had not seen for themselves, they would never have guessed it had gotten wrecked.

"You racing tonight?" Letty asked.

"Nah, I think I'll just give her a work out. Maybe tomorrow," Vince answered, as he grabbed a rag to polish up the already spotless car.

"Might be a good idea. Getting beat again so soon... not too good for the confidence," Letty said, patting him on the shoulder. He turned with a glare, which she returned evenly. "Oh please."

"Dude, that kid was suicidal. Almost got hit at least six or seven times, wasn't even fazed. Cutting off oncoming traffic."

"It's called racing. Part of the sport."

Vince ignored the jab.

"What are _you_ up to tonight then?" He shot back.

"Dunno. Mia was talking about going clubbing. Haven't decided yet."

"That could be fun."

"What happened to the work out?"

Vince rolled his eyes.

"I'm not goinna drive her around all night. I can meet up with you two after."

Letty nodded.

"I think Leon's going. Jessie's working on… some project on that computer of his."

"Typical."

"Yeah."

There was not much else the pair wanted to say, and the silence that fell between them was a simple one. They sat, lost in their thoughts, for nearly 15 minutes before they both decided to clean up their work spaces. They retreated back to the house, Letty taking a shower as Vince settled in front of the TV. When she was done and dressed she crashed next to Vince on the couch, who had settled on watching the Godfather. The pair sat in a comfortable silence until Mia and Leon got back after closing up the store.

* * *

Emma wandered around the small house, not knowing what to do before she got ready for work. Her dog, an english sheepdog named Tye, followed at her heels obediently. When she stopped pacing or changed directions, so did he.

The house was scarily spotless. Her roommate and best friend, Kyle, was a clean freak. He did a total clean up of the house at least two or three times a week.

Eventually she made her way out to the large, two car garage out behind their house. The whole layout was quaint, it was set on a hill off one of the main roads, giving the illusion of seclusion. The driveway wound all the way around the house out to the back, next to the pool and small yard.

The house itself was small and blue with white trim and shutters. With one bedroom, two bathrooms, and a live-in basement, it was the perfect size for all it's three occupants. The garage was almost the same size as the house, but that was what had made her buy it in the first place.

She walked through the open door. A set of stairs led to a small, open loft one level up, but aside from riding gear it was empty. There were an assortment of bike parts lining the walls and in boxes around the garage. With a fully equipped tool chest, there was never a need for a mechanic.

The ground level was where her main goal was. A dozen different bikes were parked in their own little area of the garage. Her two road bikes were parked side by side, and her three off-road bikes, two 250s and a 125, were at the opposite end of the garage. Kyle's bikes were in their own little area. They had both grown up on a dirt track, following around Emma's dad, who had been a professional motocross racer.

Emma walked over to her newest toy, an ATV, and clambered on, shifting side to side. She had not had a chance to drive the little 350 yet, she had only picked it up the day before.

She had moved onto inspecting the engine when she heard the tell tale sounds of tires. Tye ran out of the garage to meet Kyle's truck in the driveway, nearly attacking the man when he climbed out.

"Easy pal," Kyle said, petting the shaggy dog on his head. Kyle wandered over to the open garage door, and leaned on the frame.

"Figures you would be in here."

Emma rolled her eyes.

"I want to get this baby down before I finally ride tomorrow. You coming with me?"

"I didn't get the day off for nothing," he replied. Between the two, there were now three ATVs. Kyle had his own 500, while Emma owned a 750 and her new one.

"I can't wait to actually try a jump."

"Just don't go crashing it already."

"I can fix it if I do," she answered back.

Her father had died the year before, leaving his only child with the small fortune he had made throughout his career. A couple bikes that they still owned had been his. When she had announced her plans to move far away from the north eastern state, Kyle had immediately jumped at the chance to leave as well. The pair packed up the two trailers and were on their way across the country within the month.

Upon reaching California, they had eventually found their way to Los Angeles. Shacking up in a pet-friendly motel at first, it was a week before they found a suitable house. Emma had no problem paying for it outright, and they were fully moved in shortly after.

That was nearly four months ago. Kyle had quickly found a job at a busy restaurant, with only utilities and personal finances, it was not hard to make enough money to live. It had taken Emma slightly longer to find her own job, but with a year and a half of bar tending experience, she was finally employed at a slightly upscale night club downtown.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready?"

Emma looked at the clock that was hanging from the wall, and waved him off. It was nearly eight, and night was slowly starting to set in.

"I already showered."

"So you're going to work in sweats and a tank top?"

She gave him an annoyed look.

"It'll take me fifteen minutes to get changed and fix my hair."

"And then another fifteen to get there."

"Which means I still have a half hour of time to kill."

Kyle had been brought up in a military family. If his room was not spotless, he was not allowed to go anywhere until it was; similarly, if he was not at least ten minutes early for everything, he was late. As much as she loved the kid, it drove her crazy.

She could not complain about the house always being clean, however. The basement and her bathroom were the only part of the house that looked lived in. Of course, Kyle never went down there, so he did not need to know that they were not as clean as the rest of the residence.

"Well, it's your career at sake not mine."

Emma wanted to laugh, but she controlled the urge, instead settling on shaking her head.

"I think I will somehow live if they fire me for not being five minutes early."

Thanks to her dad, she had more than enough money to live for several decades without working. The need to stay busy had made her decide to retain her status as working class, though.

Emma sighed, getting to her feet.

"Fine. I will go get ready and then leave. Does that work for you?"

"Yes actually, it works nicely."

He was such an old maid sometimes. Nevertheless she followed Tye and him into the house, making her way downstairs. Emma had merely draped a white and blue dyed blanket from the doorway at the bottom of the stairs, for just a little more privacy since the door at the top of the stairs, connecting to the kitchen, was almost always open. The room was fairly large, falling under the upstairs bathroom, dining room and living room. Her bathroom was next to the stairs, directly under the front part of Kyle's room and part of the kitchen.

Her room looked open with the lack of furniture. Aside from her bed, she had a desk, a bookshelf, a small bed for Tye (not that he ever used it), and her rather large entertainment system. Her walls more than made up for the emptiness, however. The most prominent theme throughout the house, especially true for her room, was motocross. Images and advertisements were the remaining memories she had of her dad.

The name 'AJ Morgan' was displayed proudly on almost every picture.

With a sigh she grabbed the outfit she had picked out for work and changed. The perks of working in a night club: party clothes were an acceptable uniform.

Emma pulled on her leather, mid-calf doc martens which completed her choice look for the night. Moving from her bed to the bathroom, she grabbed the hairspray. Styling her hair was not difficult; it fell to the middle of her back in tight, light-brown waves. The product just helped keep it presentable throughout the night. Finished she returned to her room and grabbed the light, brown duster that was hanging over the back of her unused chair, she slipped it on and made her way back upstairs, flicking off the lights when she reached the top. Kyle glanced back at her when she entered the room before shaking his head and returning to making his dinner.

She rolled her eyes at his blatant disapproval of her choice of attire, he really was an odd sort. He partied as much as the next 25 year old, but when it came to work he could not get out of the idea that it it should be strictly professional.

Emma accepted the plate of food he held for her, grabbing a cup and the pitcher of water from the fridge before settling at the small table.

Emma was in charge of groceries and coordinating meals for the pair all week. Depending on schedules, they took turns making the food. She bit into the Caesar salad gratefully.

"Thanks bud."

Kyle simply nodded as he put down Tye's bowl before joining her. The three ate, with occasional banter between the two. Although he could not talk, they treated Tye as though he was a person, including scolding him for getting bits of dog food on the kitchen floor.

"It was senior day," Kyle was explaining, as Emma nodded with an amused expression on her face. Oh woe was the man who had to wait on table after table of the elderly all day.

She finished quickly and rinsed her plate before loading it into the dishwasher.

"See you in the morning," she said, before she paused at the door.

"What time are we heading to the tracks tomorrow?"

"I was thinking one. You're usually up by then. We can grab something for lunch on the way out of town."

Emma nodded in agreement, before opening the back door and shutting the screened part behind her. She made her way along the stone walk way, assisted by the back porch light and the light at the front of the garage. She reached up to pull the garage door shut before she climbed into her Jeep Wrangler, pausing to search for her keys in her pocket. Due to the constant heat, she had taken the roof and doors off the vehicle, and they were safely being stored in the garage. Kyle helped her put them back on when rain was in the forecast, but for the moment she was in the clear.

She made her way through town, pulling into the alleyway that was next to the club. Downhill and in the back of the large brick establishment was a small parking lot for employees. She parked and climbed back out of her car, using another key to let herself in the back door. It was a well lit cellar, the lounge as the staff tended to refer to it. There were several large armchairs and couches set up around the room that they could relax on during their breaks, as well as a private bathroom and a small kitchen area.

She slipped her keys back into her pocket, and took off her jacket, hanging it on one of the free hooks. She walked up the staircase, exiting the door that was next to the restrooms, making her way back to the main part of the club and over to the bar.

"What the shit is it tonight? Did I miss some sort of holiday announcement?"

Melissa was a rough girl with several piercing and tattoos. She was typically the one to lose her temper amongst all her coworkers. Emma could not complain though, seeing as she did not take her anger out on the younger girl too often. Which was good, because the pair worked together nearly every time Emma was on the clock.

"Liss, we work in a club, as in raves, parties, loud music, lots of alcohol. You'd think you'd be used to this by now."

"Zip it kid, and get to work," the dark haired girl said, pushing her along the counter. She crossed to the far side of Jenny, a small blonde from the valley who worked with the pair on Mondays and Wednesdays. Managing tonight was Gale, one of the two owners of the club. He was a big guy who would probably make a better bouncer than any of the bouncers they had. She sent a wide smile across the counter, her deep blue eyes meeting the brown of her first customer.

"What can I get for you tonight, sir?"

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

So, right. Classes are back in full swing, and finals are moving in quickly. Which means chaos on my already whack schedule. I forced myself on this though, I really did.

Part three, in which they finally meet. I apologize for any errors that there may be, I didn't really look over this too closely.

* * *

"I feel so important," Letty said as she leaned closer to Mia. Leon was close behind the pair, as they bypassed the line right to where the bouncers stood at either side of the main door.

"Right? I guess it's a good thing people haven't forgotten the legacy of Dominic Toretto, otherwise we'd be waiting in that line all night."

The nightclub was fairly exclusive, but not as much as many others were. Reaching the door, Mia sent a wide smile at the two beefy guys.

"Hey Tyson," she greeted the bigger of the two. He used to race against the team back in the day, but a couple years before Dom left he had drifted away from the scene.

That did not mean he stayed out of the loop.

"Mia, you've grown up so much. And little Letty!"

The latino girl rolled her eyes, but managed to send a small smile to the big man. She had remembered him coming around the garage fairly frequently when she was still a kid.

"Awe, little Letty," Leon slapped her on the back. Letty gritted her teeth to stop from turning around and decking him.

"Leon man, haven't seen you in a long time."

"Yeah dude, you should stop by sometime. Almost nothing has changed."

Tyson nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind," he agreed, as he moved out of their way.

"Vince should be by pretty soon," Mia informed him. He just nodded with a wide smile, letting the trio through the doors.

"Have a good one."

As soon as they were in, Leon wandered off in pursuit of a curvy redhead that walked past. Mia and Letty looked at each other, rolling their eyes.

"Pub?" Mia called over the noise. The floor they were on was a balcony that ran around the walls of the whole building, opening into the middle of the settlement. An open staircase led down to the dance floor. The bar was off to the side, and behind it was the 'pub' as people generally called it.

Letty nodded in agreement. With billiard tables and even a few TVs it was the perfect place to relax and socialize. Though predominantly a club, the pub gave it more of a laid back, open atmosphere, like a sports bar. There was something for everyone to keep busy.

The pair made their way easily to the stairs, but had a bit more difficulty weaving in and out of the dancers. Nonetheless after several minutes, and one almost fight that had Mia physically escorting Letty away, the pair made it to the much less crowded area.

Letty pulled her arm out of Mia's grip.

"What are you gonna do?" She asked her friend over the music. Mia looked around, before looking back to the dance floor.

"I think I'm gonna go dance."

Letty nodded.

"I'll be in here."

The two split, Mia making her way back through the crowd as Letty wandered over to one of the pool tables. The two guys were just finishing a game, and she leaned against the table almost casually as they re-racked the balls.

"You're good," she said, seemingly disinterested.

The two guys looked at each other before turning their attention back to the woman.

"That's not all I'm good at," one of them said, sizing her up before he stepped forward. Letty held up a hand, halting his advances.

"Why don't we stick with pool?" she asked, resisting the urge to level the guy.

"Playing hard to get huh? Okay, I'll give. For now."

"How about this, next game, I beat you, you lay off."

"And if you don't?"

"Name it."

He gave a sleezy smile.

"I'll let you know."

Letty smirked.

"Oh, trust me, there won't be a need."

"We'll see."

Letty grabbed a spare cue stick, rolling her eyes when her back was turned. Were all guys perverted, or just the ones she surrounded herself with. Each of the other pool tables already had large groups of people, however, and this was the only one she would get the chance to play at without waiting at least an hour. Thankfully she had frequented bars often enough since her teen years to be a very proficient billiard player.

"Just break."

Shaking his head with a smirk he did as she ordered, scattering the balls easily. He stepped back, waving a hand at the table in a mocking manner. Letty scowled at him, brushing past as she lined up her shot.

She sunk the thirteen ball, looking sideways at her opponent.

"Stripes," she claimed the obvious, moving for another shot.

She won the game fairly quick, but not by a lot.

"That settles that then," she said, shaking a strand of hair out of her face. Her long hair was down, for once, and it was starting to annoy her a bit.

Her eyes moved from one guy to the other, before she smirked cockily.

"Why don't we just stick with money from now on?"

"I'm down," the first guy said. His friend nodded in agreement.

"Deal."

The commotion drew more people, and soon there was a full fledged tournament going as people pooled in their money and ordered up more drinks.

"Figures you'd be in the middle of all this."

Letty hit the cue ball expertly before turning towards the voice. She heard a ball fall into one of the pockets, but met Vince's eyes instead of checking.

"Hey, easy money is easy money."

There was a clamor of disagreement among the male-dominant crowd, and Vince cracked a smile.

"I hear ya."

"I need a drink!" Mia inserted herself into their conversation, as Letty turned back to her game, though still keeping an ear to the pair. Vince was quick to ask what she wanted, which made Letty roll her eyes. Mia still was not into him, but he was not giving up.

"I'll go grab something. What do you want?"

"I heard their punch is real good."

Vince grinned.

"You got it babe. You want anything Letty?"

She shook her head before sinking another ball.

"I'll get something when I'm done."

Vince shrugged.

"Suit yourself."

* * *

"Okay Liss, I officially agree! We haven't been this busy in weeks!" Emma called over the crowd, nearly three hours into her shift.

The brunette looked over her shoulder. An Asian girl named Nari had come in for her shift an hour earlier, and Melissa had finally gotten a brief break. With the crowd so big, however, it did not seem to make much of a difference.

"What can I get for you-"

She was surprised for a moment when she was looking into the face of the guy she had beaten at the race at the beginning of the week. Brushing it off, it really was just a bit of a shock, she blinked at his answer before nodding quickly.

"One corona and one punch, coming right up," she said, quickly serving the drinks. "Go careful on the juice. It hits you hard."

Vince, she remembered his name, laughed, nodding as he slid a ten across the counter. She accepted it.

"It's not for me, but I'll pass that on. Keep the change."

Emma smirked, thinking of how much he seemed to love giving her money, but thanked him as he walked over to the crowded table. It was a loud crowd, the constant chatter broken by shouts of both cheers and disses.

Twenty minutes, and a couple dozen customers later she was face to face with the woman she recognized as the one who had drawn the crowd into the pub area. She also, faintly, remembered the older woman from the race.

"Hey."

Emma grinned with a nod.

"So, what's your poison?"

The latino woman gave a lob-sided grin at her choice of a greeting.

"I'll take a Screwdriver."

Emma chuckled, banging one fist lightly on the counter.

"Yes," she cheered lightly, "my personal fav. Great choice!"

She easily poured the orange juice and vodka together, giving it a quick stir before handing it over. She held up her hand when the woman reached for her money.

"No, don't worry about it. On the house."

The woman looked surprised before she nodded slowly.

"Like I said... great choice," Emma explained.

Curiosity seemed to win the other woman over. "So you do this for everyone who orders a Screwdriver?" she inquired lightly.

Emma grinned.

"Nah. Only if she's pretty," she corrected, with a wink. "Enjoy."

Another customer pulled her attention away from the slightly smaller woman, and she dropped the flirtatious behavior.

* * *

Letty stared at the bartender, lips parted slightly in shock. If the other girl's bluntness had not surprised her, being hit on so clearly (and by another chick nonetheless) did succeed.

Shaking her head, she spun on her heels and headed to a small table that Mia and Vince had grabbed, just a handful down from the bar, against the wall. Her mind still mulled over the bartender's words. She knew she was attractive; she had been called sexy before, and even hot, on numerous occasions. But this was the first time she could remember anyone calling her _pretty_, or any other term that was, dare she say, softer and more endearing.

"Took you long enough," Vince said over the rise of noise. Letty just shrugged.

"Long wait," she said, only half lying. She took a long sip, tasting the vodka sharply.

_That girl certainly doesn't go lightly on the alcohol, _she thought, clearing her throat briefly.

It was just how she liked it.

* * *

It was nearing two in the morning, and the crowd finally started to thin out. Nari pushed Emma out from behind the bar, and the younger girl gratefully took a much needed break. Most would consider it a lunch break, if it weren't in the middle of the night. The pool tournament was still going in full swing, and, after grabbing a quick bite of food from the lounge she even bought herself in for a round.

She almost laughed at who she ended up playing against.

"Hey! Long time no see," she nodded to the same woman from earlier. The latino woman nodded back.

"You up next?"

Emma nodded.

"So I've been told."

"Okay. Let's do this."

Emma accepted one of the pool sticks that was handed to her with a quick thanks, before watching her opponent break. It was a fairly long game, but in the end Emma surrendered her $50 without a fight.

"So, you're good at pool," she said as the next pair set up their game.

"Yeah, had a lot of practice. I think you're the only person who put up much of a fight."

Emma laughed, agreeing fully. Though she had not actually watched many of the games, she did notice that all of the rounds the latino woman played in were over rather quickly.

"I don't believe we've met officially," she said suddenly, eyeing the clock. Just another minute. "I'm Emma," she said, reaching out her hand.

The other woman took it, nodding.

"Letty."

"Well, Letty. I have to get back to work now. Don't swindle too much money out of these poor suckers, huh? They can't buy drinks if they're broke."

That earned a laugh from the older girl, who nodded.

"I promise nothing."

Emma studied her for another moment before shrugging.

"Good enough for me. See you around."

With that she went back behind the bar, serving her first post-break customer.

* * *

Letty watched Emma leave, in a puzzled interest. She was certainly an overly friendly person, and for some reason that captivated her.

_Pull yourself together chica. You've only known her for a couple hours now._

It did not change, and she made Vince go get her another drink, deciding to avoid the bar for the rest of the night. He returned with a Corona, and Letty just sighed. Normally she did not mind beer, but for some reason she did not want it tonight. She shrugged anyways, accepting the drink with a nod before she started sipping it. Mia had stopped after just two drinks of the punch. Letty had tried a sip and was surprised that the older girl was still coherent.

Mia was never much of a drinker, and if she had to guess, Letty would bet that the home-made beverage was at least 90 percent liquor. Her friend's buzz was finally wearing off, if her behavior was any indication though. The latino woman pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, turning it on to check for missed calls. Leon left a message that said he was staying with Stacy (the redhead) for the night, and Letty rolled her eyes.

Typical.

There were no other calls, and she shut the phone back off, finally turning back to the tournament.

"Hey, Mia wants to get out of here. Are you good?"

Letty turned to Vince, nodding as Mia stood between the two.

"Yeah. Le ditched us, so you driving?"

"No problem Letty girl. I only had two drinks earlier tonight, I'm good."

Letty nodded before downing the rest of her beer in one go.

"Come on then," she nodded towards the exit. Mia slung an arm around the shorter woman's shoulder, and Letty smiled at the gesture.

Mia + Alcohol = Affectionate.

In a strictly platonic sense, that is.

Letty let her friend lead her through the dance floor and up the stairs, following the path that Vince easily cleared.

"Hey Tyson. Thanks man," he said to the bouncer when they were exiting.

"Anything for you guys. Anytime."

"Alright bro, I'll keep that in mind."

Once again the two girls were following Vince as he lead them down the street to his Nissan.

"That was fun," he said as they all got in and settled.

"Definitely. We should do it more often," Mia agreed.

Letty's mind went back to the bartender, who had the bluest eyes she could ever remember seeing.

"It wasn't bad," she said finally.

The ride home was too short for her contemplating mind.

* * *

Okay, so this isn't a new muse, just an... additional one:  
www . imdb . com/media/rm2698613760/nm0735442  
Once again, do mind the spaces.


	4. Chapter 4

Relay for Life was this past Saturday. Somehow I managed to pull the 6-6 all nighter (though I was pretty much a bitch by the end of it. I hate missing sleep). I was surprised, because I am a very sleep deprived insomniac. Anyhow, so now my sleep schedule is all out of whack, and my classes don't seem to like me at the moment.

Such is my life.

* * *

Emma awoke later that day to Tye licking her face. She jumped back, wiping the slobber onto the sleeve of the shirt she had slept in, with a sigh.

"Thanks boy," she said, yawning. It was just past 11:30, and she slowly got to her feet. First stop: bathroom. She shut Tye out of the other room, and grinned tiredly when she heard him scratch at the door.

"Easy!" she called through the wood separator. The scratching stopped, but the dog's whimpers were still very clear. Emma finished up, washing and drying her hands and face before opening the door. Tye's enthusiastic greeting made her stumble backwards, and she shoved the dog to the side as she went back into her room. She slipped into a pair of jersey shorts, and changed the drool stained shirt for a tank top, making her way up the stairs with Tye at her heels.

Kyle was no where to be found, but she shrugged it off, getting herself a bowl of Frosted Flakes.

He would turn up eventually.

She ate the food quickly, the morning after her overnight shifts always started with her starving. Rinsing her bowl she left it in the sink, Kyle would tear into her later, and slipped on a pair of white trainers before she wandered outside.

There was her roommate, hitching the smaller trailer to the back of his Chevy. The four-wheelers were not loaded yet, but they had been pushed to the garage door.

"Thank God, can you give me a hand with this?" the blond asked when he spotted her. She grinned, nodding as she moved over to align the trailer with the hitch on the truck. She eased it down and into place, and with a triumphant whoop, Kyle bolted the trailer into place.

"Thanks, I've been out here for about twenty minutes trying to get that done."

Emma sniggered at how serious he was, rolling her eyes.

"You're absolutely helpless."

"Bite me."

"Where?" Emma asked innocently. Kyle gave her an astounded look before shaking his head.

"You always come back with that."

"You always say it."

Kyle just threw his hands up in exasperation, shaking his head.

"You ready then?"

"Just need to grab Tye's stuff, and some gear," she answered, heading into the garage.

The dog followed faithfully.

Emma climbed the stairs to the loft, looking around the small area. There were two dressers, one for road clothes and an even bigger one for off-road clothes. There were also an assortment of motocross gear, boots, and helmets organized rather logically, if she had to decide.

She fished through the off-road dresser, grabbing a long sleeved shirt with a Yamaha logo across the front. She went through the rest of the stuff, grabbing boots, lightly padded motocross pants, riding gloves, tinted goggles, and a helmet. She shoved the stuff into a gym bag that was nearby, and headed back down. She tossed the bag easily into the bed of the truck, as Kyle strapped both machines onto the trailer.

After shutting the garage door, Emma helped him finish and the pair retreated back into the house, grabbing the cooler and backpack that Emma had somehow looked over during breakfast. Emma doubled back for a light sweater, before finally locking the door behind her.

It was a hot day, but it could get chilly at night.

Tye jumped easily into the high cab of the truck, settling on the sheet-covered back seat. Emma climbed into the front seat, shutting both doors before clipping her seatbelt on.

Kyle started the truck and Emma stared at the stereo, bemused for a moment, before ejecting the CD of country music. As Kyle drove down the street, she regretted not grabbing her own music, but searched through the CDs instead of making him turn around.

"Dave's will do," she said to herself regretfully, popping in the CD.

She briefly wondered how she got along so well with someone who primarily listened to country music or adult alternative.

* * *

With business slow at the garage for the day, Letty instead went to help out Mia at the store, knowing that the new shipment of stock was due to arrive.

She let Mia deal with the customers as she cleaned up the food counter, scrubbing the whole area down and washing the few dishes that there were. The store was never busy, but they did not get bad business.

"You going with Vince tonight?" Mia asked over her shoulder as she looked through the account book in front of her. It was the notoriously slow point in the day, and no delivery trucks had stopped by yet.

"Maybe, I'm thinking of racing a bit myself. Need to burn off some steam, you know?"

Mia chuckled.

"Yeah, I get it."

She did not race though, her brother had never allowed her to, and she never developed the urge that the other woman did.

The sound of truck breaks broke the two out of their mutual silence, and both looked up at the front of the store. A rig was parked out in front, driver already getting out of the car.

_Man, I can't believe we actually used to jack those things_, Letty thought, shaking her head.

It was Dom's fault, really.

Mia walked around the counter, meeting the trucker out front. On the far side of the road, Letty saw a large pick-up truck pull to a stop. There was a small trailer hitched to the back with four-wheelers on it. The driver got out, a guy nearing six feet tall, but not overly muscled. He had a black baseball cap that was backwards and a pair of sport sunglasses.

Letty recognized him as one of the few regulars that the store got.

"Hey Mia," he nodded at the owner when he saw her. Mia grinned, with a small wave.

"Hey Kyle," she returned, before she turned back to the trucker.

"Hi," he said with a grin as he stopped at the counter. Impassive, Letty nodded back.

"What do you want?"

He pulled off his sunglasses, brown eyes scanning over the menu.

"Two Italian subs. To go."

Letty nodded.

"It'll be a minute or two."

Usually she left Mia to make food, but she was proficient enough with subs to not need assistance.

"No problem."

Kyle wandered over to the chip isle, searching through the dozen of different flavors and brands. Letty saw him pull out his phone, rolling his eyes at the screen before typing something back and returning it to his pocket.

She was just starting on the second sub when his voice cut through the silence.

"You do not need junk food."

She glanced over and saw him with the phone to his ear. Shaking her head, she continued with her task.

"Then come get it yourself."

Pause.

"You are so lazy."

Pause.

"Yeah, whatever."

A click signaled that he had hung up. Grabbing something, he returned to the counter.

"Little brother?" Letty asked, mostly to be polite, but with some curiosity.

Vince and her always had similar phone conversations.

Kyle shook his head, but cracked a smile.

"Close, but no. My roommate. She's a nuisance."

Letty grinned.

"Yeah, I know how that one goes."

"Yeah, you'd think she'd be able to get off her ass and walk across the street, but nope."

He held up a bag of mint candies as way of explanation. Letty chuckled.

"Well, your total is $4.39."

Kyle nodded, handing over a five. Letty rang up the purchases and gave him his change.

"See you next time."

Letty just nodded.

* * *

"What's it like in there?" Emma nodded to the small store with the seasoned_ Toretto's_ sign above the entrance.

"Small," Kyle said, rolling his eyes as he handed her the bag of mints. Emma took them with a grin.

"Thanks. That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Excruciating."

Emma scoffed as they pulled away from the store and headed out of the city.

* * *

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

"GO!"

Two machines took off down the dirt path. After two and a half hours of trail riding, they were officially racing back to where they had parked earlier.

It was dinner time.

The smaller rider was crouched off the seat, using their legs as extra suspension. The machine rocked dangerously over rocks and divots. They were nearing the end of the trail, where it opened to a field. The red driver cut around the log to a worn trail, while the one on the black ATV hit the same log, full speed.

Both driver and bike flew nearly four feet into the air, before landing roughly on the flattened land.

The red driver slid to a stop next to the Chevy, as the black rider came in moments later.

"Damn it all!"

Killing the engine, the black rider pulled back. After quickly unstrapping and yanking off the helmet, Emma shook her head.

She rotated her wrist before wrapping her other hand around it.

"You okay?" Kyle asked as he took off his red and white helmet. She nodded with a grimace.

"Just jammed it."

"Well maybe next time you'll be a bit more sensible."

Emma gave him a look that read 'yeah right', but she pulled off her white and gray gloves before she climbed off the bike, hanging her helmet on one handlebar.

"Hey Tye!"

The dog was already on its feet, pulling against the chain that bound him to the tree.

"Good boy. You need some water?"

He barked, tail waving quickly. Emma took the gallon of water and refilled the bowl that was under the tree, before taking out a dog bone. Tye turned away from the water when he saw the treat.

"Sit boy, easy."

He sat back, and, aside from his tail, stopped bouncing.

"Good boy. Give me five."

The dog put his paw into her hand, and she grinned before surrendering the bone. Kyle was rolling his eyes as he pulled the cooler from the back of the truck.

"You and that dog."

"I _love_ that dog," she argued back.

Kyle just shook his head. Emma pulled off the long-sleeved black and gray racing shirt, draping it over the bike behind her.

"It is HOT today," she said, adjusting her slightly crooked tank top. Despite it being almost 5, the sun was still burning strong.

Kyle just nodded, setting the cooler between the two as they sat in the camp chairs they had packed. As Tye gnawed away on his bone, Emma and Kyle tore into the subs.

"This is good."

"Yeah, their subs usually are. Haven't tried any of their other choices though."

Emma shrugged, taking another bite.

Off across the field was a large dirt parking lot, and behind it was a dirt racing track. A half dozen more cars and trucks were parked at intervals throughout the open field, riders also on the wood trails that were so popular.

The pair sat in relative silence as they ate, enjoying the peacefulness of being away from the busy city.

"Maybe we should buy a small piece of this land, you know?"

Kyle quirked his head at his friend. Emma nodded.

"Totally build just a little house. Then we don't have to leave."

"But you love LA."

Emma shrugged.

"I could commute."

"A two hour commute?"

"It was just an idea."

"Besides, I doubt they're selling their land."

Emma rolled her eyes, before taking a sip from her iced tea. As if the military upbringing was not strict enough, Kyle's mother was a diet and nutrition consultant. Aside from the random assortment of snacks and sugary cereal she managed to sneak into the groceries, almost everything else food oriented was healthy, all-natural products.

With the exception, of course, of some alcohol. But that was self-explanatory.

The pair finished their meal and geared back up, heading back to the trails for a bit longer.

* * *

Emma nudged the weight at her feet, rolling over. The weight shifted, and she snuggled further into the warm bed. While work was not very busy, she had been asked to stay an extra two hours. She lifted her head slightly to squint at the clock.

4:25.

She jumped up.

_Did I really sleep almost nine hours?_ she asked herself, surprised.

She was lucky if she made it more than six. She blinked heavily, looking around the room.

Tye was passed out where her feet had been trapped moments before. She turned to lay her head down on his side, scratching the back of his neck as he slept. She had nothing to do until later that night, Carlos had already told her where the races were when she had called earlier that morning.

Now she just had to kill time until 9PM. She searched her mind, before grinning and leaving her bed to change into a swim suit.

Having a pool was not something she could claim when she lived in Mass. But here it was her third favorite feature of the house.

The second was the diving board.

* * *

"Aww boy. Yo, my kid's back in action! Let's hear it for Rudy!"

Three cars and one bike lined up as the cheers started, and Letty leaned against the side of Vince's Nissan, arms crossed. Mia was somewhere with her car, Letty faintly remembered her saying she would get some booze for the party later that night. Her gaze was on the lone biker.

Though her life revolved around cars, there was something about the freedom and speed of a bike that had always fascinated her. Unfortunately, as far as street racing went, bikes and cars generally kept separate, so she never got the opportunity inspect one. Dom and the rest of the team had always been about cars, and only cars. She never could complain, but she would admit some disappointment.

She had always, secretly, wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle. But that would mean admitting that she did not know everything about racing vehicles.

And that was something she would never do willingly, without good reason.

Letty watched as some _skank_ (as her mind so readily provided) waved the race started, and they all took off. Opening the door she stood inside the car, giving her a few more inches and watched as the games of weaving and dodging started.

The biker turned the corner in third place.

"The route's a few blocks longer than Sunday's was," Vince said, as he came over. "Probably a few extra minutes."

Letty nodded, hopping down and closing the door.

"Yeah, well, for a three grand buy in, it better not be too easy," she drawled. She had already raced once earlier, and the wad of 50s in her pocket had multiplied significantly.

"Tell me about it."

Vince was taking a break for the night, which Letty found odd. She did not give it too much thought, however.

It was nearly ten minutes later when the telltale sounds of a revved engine met the ears of the crowd. Spurred into action, the once clogged streets cleared out amazingly fast, as spectators and other racers alike cleared the roadway. Cheers started up as, several blocks down the road, a purple Toyota barreled around the corner, skidding across lanes as they tried to change directions smoothly. Moments after a yellow and orange Acura came into sight, tailing the Toyota closely.

Unfortunately traffic was too heavy for either driver to use a boost, and their ascent to the finish line was slowed. The biker took the corner, several dozens of yards behind the cars. Taking advantage of the semi-busy road, the biker started swerving in and out of, and cutting off, numerous vehicles. The rider was swiftly, but steadily, gaining on the opponents.

There was no sign of the white Chevy yet, but people did not seem to notice.

With just a hundred of yards to go, the biker shot forward, much quicker than before, easily catching the two cars before taking the lead, still dodging traffic. The Acura swung to the side, running a red light too slowly to blow through like the Toyota and Yamaha had.

The commotion seemed to slow the Toyota down, and the biker skidding over the spray painted line, winning once again.

Letty did not realize the grin on her face. She wandered away from the blue Nissan, over to where the three racers (the Chevy was still absent) were.

"Woo kid, it's a good thing you can't come more often," she saw Carlos talking quickly to the biker. "You keep winning like this, they'll be out for you."

The biker took the thick envelop of cash and tucked it into the leather jacket, before clasping hands with the mexican and nodding.

"WE GOT COPS, WE GOT COPS! SCATTER."

Letty spun in the crowd.

"Vince!" she shouted over the mass chaos. It was lost in the noise. "Oh fuck no," she said, paling.

She had forgotten to tell him that Mia had taken her car.

She saw the familiar Nissan already high-tailing it down the street. Letty dodged a passing car, bolting down one side alley as the flashing lights broke onto the street.

Though it was true she did not have her car, and they could not prove she had been racing, the wad of bills in her pocket was more than enough probable cause to bring her in.

She leaped over a trash can, clearing it easily as she picked up speed. The alley way was wide enough for a car to drive through, so she was not safe yet. Minutes later she broke onto another street, moving to the sidewalk.

Though she was never officially charged, she knew more than enough how her face was associated on the matter. The crossing sign changed to walk just as she reached the intersection, and she did not hesitate. She did not slow down until she was several blocks away from the scene of the crime.

She was also several blocks further from home. She walked at a slow pace, inhaling deeply to catch her breath. She cut into a small store, buying a bottle of water, before exiting, finding a bench at a small, street side park.

As if being stranded, sweaty, and out of breath was not enough, Letty did not even have her cell phone on her.

She leaned back, letting her head hang over the back of the bench as she downed the water, still breathing heavily.

A cop car raced by, pursuing the lost Chevy, and Letty shook her head, as she leaned forward, wiping her bangs from her eyes. Despite the annoyance of her situation, she could not help but to laugh.

"Poor bastard," she muttered to herself. She rose to her feet and tossed the empty bottle into a trash can, before stuffing her hands in her pockets and wandering further away from home. After all, to get back would require her walking through a place that was undoubtedly crawling with patrol cars.

Not exactly the smartest idea. She had no change on her to make a phone call, and the only people she could call were on the radar already. It was nearly a half hour later when she heard a bike engine approach, but it was several minutes before she realize that it had not passed.

She turned, blinking in confusion at the rider. Though the bike was different from earlier, the clothes and helmet were still the same. She stopped short, and the bike mimicked her actions, pulling to a stop. The biker unstrapped their helmet, pulling it off.

"Need a lift?" asked the rider, familiar, deep blue eyes sparkling.

* * *

Okay, so I had a bit of trouble with this chapter at first, but today in my Literature class I wrote an outline of what I wanted to cover in the next few chapters, and voila! I am once again getting back on track. Once again, forgive my mistakes... lately I do not seem to have the patience to look over my work more than one or two times.


	5. Chapter 5

Woo-e. I am tired. But I have a tennis match this weekend, sooo... practice, practice, practice! Yeah... tell me about it. Can't complain though, I love the sport.

* * *

Letty stared at the girl in a mixture of confusion and shock.

"Emma?"

The younger woman's face brightened.

"Sweet, you remember! That makes me happy."

Letty opened her mouth to respond but, after not finding any words, she decided against it.

"I was passing by and saw that you looked a bit lost. So I turned around and... yeah."

"You're the racer?"

The brunette grinned with a nod.

"Does that surprise you?"

Letty paused, thinking the question over. She shrugged.

"I dunno. A bit."

Emma nodded.

"Fair enough."

"Why do they call you Rudy?"

Emma shrugged.

"It's my nickname. Kinda a long story, picked it up back in high school."

"Right."

"So why are you walking around?"

Letty looked up at the street lights, before looking back. She shrugged again.

"Mia... you know my friend?" At Emma's nod she continued. "Well, she took my car to get some drinks for the after party. I never let Vince know that I was getting a ride back with him. We got the warning, he was gone before I could get to his car. Jesse was too, actually. Leon wasn't racing tonight."

Emma nodded sympathetically.

"Gottcha. That sucks."

Letty nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, so I took off as fast as I could. They tried to recruit me for track back in high school, but I'm not the sports type."

"Too busy with racing?"

_And Dom, _Letty added silently.

"Something like that."

Emma surveyed the street. It was well past 10, and the sidewalks were filled with people still.

"What about you? Where'd your bike go?"

She turned back to the latino.

"This is my bike."

Letty scowled at her, before raising an eyebrow.

"Where's the blue one you were racing?"

"I took it home. Cleared out of there as fast as you all did. Figured someone would have reported a blue racing bike. I only live about five minutes from where we were," she explained. "So yeah. Went home, switched bikes, came back out for a ride. Sports touring bikes are hardly race-able," she continued, waving at the large silver bike.

"Really?"

"Yeah, don't get me wrong, this engine is way bigger than my R1. But it's also nearly 150 pounds heavier."

Letty just nodded, mouth forming an 'o'.

"So, I guess that's a 'yes' to the lift then, yeah?"

Letty grinned, slightly sheepish.

"The only money I have on me is what I won earlier. No cell phone, no change, nothing."

Emma grabbed the extra helmet that was stashed in one of the side bags, tossing it to the latino. Letty caught it, surprised at it's weight. She looked it over for a moment before meeting Emma's eyes.

"Do you know where Toretto's is? Small store, south eastern side of downtown."

Emma thought a moment before nodding quickly.

"Yeah, my roommate goes there all the time."

"Well, drive past there, like you're heading out of the city. Eight blocks and then you take a right onto Woodrift Ave, then the first left onto Hyde Street. It'll be the white house with all the cars parked out in front."

Emma grinned.

"Hyde Street, coming right up. Oh, here," she fished through the side bag again, pulling out a light sweater. She tossed it to the shorter woman. "Helps with the wind," she said, slipping her helmet on. Seeing Letty's hesitation, Emma flipped the visor of her helmet up.

"You okay?"

Letty nodded, giving the helmet to Emma so she could put on the sweater on and zip it up.

"Just never been on a bike before."

"Well, do as I say, not as I do. Only thing you need to worry about is when I turn. Don't lean with me, okay? Try to sit up straight, stay as perpendicular to the road as you can," Emma explained patiently. Letty nodded. Seeing her confusion Emma clarified, "I'll be leaning with the bike, if I try to straighten out and you're still leaning, well... that won't be good. Stay straight, keep your weight centered."

"Okay. Will do," Letty gave her a mock salute, putting on the helmet and strapping it like she had watched her friend do. She climbed onto the back part of the seat, her feet finding the pegs that had flipped down.

"There's handles under the edge of the seat you can hold onto," Emma called over the engine when she started it. Letty obeyed the indirect order, following Emma's gaze over her shoulder. There was a two car gap that Emma smoothly eased into, and Letty, eyes protected by the clear visor, looked around in a mild wonder. The wind tugged at the sweater, and toyed with her loose hair, but seeing everything outside of a car was slightly disorienting.

She had done it a couple of times before, during the hijacking days. Jumping from car to truck. But even that was different. Here she was not putting her life in danger.

She enjoyed it. The ride was over far too quickly for her liking, and she climbed off the seat when they pulled into the driveway, managing to pull the bike in near the garage out back. Letty climbed off, returning the helmet and sweater to the side bag.

"You coming in?"

"I'm invited?"

Letty grinned with a nod.

"Why wouldn't you be? First off, just about every racer is invited to wherever the party is. Secondly, you did bring me back."

Emma grinned, nodding as well.

"Well, who can deny that logic?"

She hooked her helmet on one of the handlebars, pocketing the keys in her leather jacket, which she rolled into a ball and stuffed into the other side bag. She straightened out her maroon top as she followed Letty through the back door and into the house

"Letty girl! Where have you been?"

Letty shoved Leon away from her, rolling her eyes.

"I was stranded in downtown," she said shortly, crossing to the refrigerator. She looked through, grabbing two Coronas, before turning around. Leon was talking to Emma, one arm slung over her shoulders.

"Hey, lay off," she chastened her friend. "Go find that little skank you were all over the other night."

Leon laughed off Letty's roughness, but left the pair alone. Letty held out one of the bottles to Emma.

"This okay?"

Emma grinned.

"I'm more of a Coors person, but this is a fine alternative," she replied, twisting off the top with ease.

She was a bartender, after all.

"Come on," Letty nodded towards the living room. A group of guys were crowded around the TV, taking turns at the racing game. Most people were at random around the room, socializing to the music that was faintly audible over the TV.

"Oh my Gods, Letty, I almost killed Vince when he got back without you!"

"Hey girl, no worries," Letty grinned at Mia. She nodded towards Emma. "She hooked me up." Mia turned towards the bartender.

"Thanks."

Emma grinned in return.

"No problem."

"You... where have I seen you before?"

Letty and Emma caught each others eyes, before Letty turned back to her childhood friend.

"Mi, she works at Las Noches. Bartender."

"Oh that's right! We were just there a couple nights ago."

Letty rolled her eyes, amused.

As smart as her friend was, she was not always together.

"How is that as a job, anyways?"

Emma just nodded.

"It's work, but I enjoy it."

"That's what matters," Mia agreed.

"Yeah, and the killer tips aren't bad either."

Mia laughed, but nodded.

"Oh, I'm sure. Well thanks again for picking up Vince's slack."

Emma laughed, waving the older girl off.

"Anytime."

Mia looked at Letty once more, as if checking her over for injuries. Seeing nothing, she grinned, leaving the pair in the entry way to the living room.

"So. Clearly there's not a lot to do."

Emma looked around.

"Chilling is fine-"

"Rudy! Hey chica, how you doing? I didn't expect to see you here!" Carlos interrupted her, shaking her hand eagerly. A few people turned with interest at her name, but no one else approached.

"Hey again Carlos."

"So I was thinking. You should totally come see me when you've won a couple more times. I can hook you up nice with a _real_ street racing machine. All the amenities."

Emma shook her head, but smiled.

"I think I'll stick to my bikes."

"Oh really? We'll see about that, won't we Letty girl?"

Letty just shrugged her shoulders. If she was in Emma's place, she would choose the bikes, too. Carlos looked down at his phone, which had vibrated and lit up.

"Uh-oh, my lady's calling. Hasta luego amigas," he said to the two women, making his way to a quieter place.

"So, yeah. This is pretty much it."

Emma grinned.

"Got a deck of cards?"

"Of course. Why?"

Who did _not_ have a deck of cards?

Emma looked around the room, sizing up the competition.

"Ever played Kings before?"

* * *

Emma's eyes squeezed tighter, as her mind came up with many ways to describe the sun's cruelty. She curled up, facing away from it, tucking her head under the fluffy pillow. She was almost asleep again when it occurred to her.

Being the basement and all, the windows in her room were high, small, and behind a mess of different plants. Sun did not shine directly into her room.

Ever.

She lifted up her head, looking around in confusion. She was cocooned in a light blanket, occupying a small bit of a king sized bed.

Hers was only a queen.

She unraveled herself from the binding, climbing out of the bed and to her feet. Her t-shirt was crumpled from sleeping in it, and her hip-hugging cargo pants had faired little better. She ran her tongue over her teeth, grimacing.

She needed a toothbrush.

Finding her boots, she slipped them on, quiet as to not wake the other occupant, a mess of long black hair only visible, and made her way out of the room and down the staircase directly to the left.

"You're up early," Mia said, as she moved around the kitchen.

Confused, Emma looked around. Her eyes burned from both the sun's brightness and a lack of rest. She blinked rapidly, before squinting around the room.

"Uhm-"

"Right. Well that game that you started got everyone sufficiently drunk," Mia explained. "They at least had someone with them that was DDing. You ended up crashing in with Letty."

She nodded, as it came back to her. Just like being back in school. She took a seat, glancing at the clock.

It was almost 11, which meant she got just around six hours of sleep. She took a slice of toast that Mia had laid out, pouring a good deal of honey on it before she smoothed it around.

She had read that honey helped with hangovers. She ate the bread slowly, still trying to get rid of the haze from her alcohol-induced sleep. The bright, morning light did not help at all, either.

She finished rather quickly, she never liked to draw out breakfast, and offered to help Mia with cleaning up. The taller woman had tried to wave her off, but Emma started gathering bottles and cans that littered almost every inch of every surface on the ground floor. The pair worked in a companionable silence for the better part of an hour, moving from floor to table, to couch and chairs.

Emma did, however, let Mia scrub the spot on the floor that was sticky from some type of liquid. Her stomach could not handle all of the ideas of what it could be (it did not smell like beer). She immediately cut off that thought, and instead went to the kitchen to check on the food. Coffee cake, she was guessing. She shrugged, having never made it before she did not know what it should look like when it was done.

Mia was finished scrubbing the floor, and it looked as good as new. Emma took the offered mop and bucket, washing down the rest of the floor to match. The lemon scented soap/polish mixed with the cinnamon scented coffee cake, giving the house a clean, warm smell.

"You know you didn't have to do any of this," Mia thanked her again, storing the cleaning supplies in a small closet. Emma shrugged.

"Well, I needed to wake up and get my brain going before I even attempted to drive my bike. Besides, now I can feel accomplished for the rest of the day."

Mia grinned at that, shaking her head. The sounds of rustling from the floor above interrupted their moment of silence, and heavy footsteps sounded down the stairs. They looked over as Letty strolled tiredly into the room, looking more than comfortable in a white tank top and cotton shorts.

Emma was jealous.

"Hola," she mumbled thickly, with a yawn.

"Hey Let," Mia returned.

"Morning."

The latino woman took a seat and stared at the table in a daze, only snapped out of it when Mia slid a plate of warm coffee cake in front of her.

"Thanks girl."

Mia smiled at how miserable her friend looked, running a hand through Letty's tangled locks. She could not remember the last time she saw the shorter woman with such a bad hangover. It had been a long time since Letty had just let go and enjoyed herself.

Emma stayed for only twenty minutes longer before she excused herself, thanking Mia for breakfast.

"Later chica," Letty nodded, a bit more awake now.

Emma gave her a grin.

"Definitely."

* * *

Tye almost bowled her over when she opened the door, and she sat down in the doorway for several minutes, playing with him.

"Fun night?"

Kyle was leaning against his bedroom door, arms crossed.

"Why yes mother, it was very productive."

"That's what they call it now?"

Emma pulled out the envelop of money.

"I think we need a new entertainment system for the living room, yeah?"

Kyle stared at her, mouth agape.

"How many times did you race?"

"Just once. It was a 3k buy in though. Beat three other people."

"You made nine grand in a night? Hell, Em, that's utilities for the rest of the year."

"Or 'spoil us' money. Come on, yeah?"

Kyle shook his head at the matter of income, but grinned at the thought of new electronics around the house.

"Okay, but I'm driving."

"Go right ahead."

* * *

"You did good here, Mia girl."

Mia looked over to her childhood friend.

"Emma helped me a lot, actually."

"Really? Who goes over to someone's house, then helps clean up in the morning? Isn't that the point of going to their house, so you _don't_ have to clean up?"

Mia shrugged.

"I won't complain."

* * *

Boo-yah. So the next part is already written up, but I think I'll wait until tomorrow to post it... just because I have that power -insert evil laughter-.

That, and a bit of curiosity is good for the health.


	6. Interlude

Of the drinking kind.

* * *

_"Kings? Can't say I have."_

It must be a college thing, _Emma thought._

_"You have a sheet of paper? Or anything I could write on?" _

_Letty paused for a moment before walking into the kitchen, and returning with an open envelop. The back part was blank, and Emma nodded. She accepted the paper and the pen, looking around the room._

_"Let's get some people. Oh, we'll need a cup. A big one."_

_The two spilt up, walking through the house. Five minutes later they were at the table in the second living room, half of a dozen people with them._

_"Okay, anyone ever played Kings before?"_

_One person raised her hand, Jessica as Emma soon found out._

_"Not recently though."_

_After-parties were generally just to socialize and hang out. Video games aside, there were not too many activities to do otherwise._

_"Well, it's main purpose is to get people drunk," Emma explained, as she, slowly, wrote down a list. Letty was shuffling the cards next to her. "Some entertainment, but it's not like poker or anything that requires technique or a strategy."_

_She put down the pencil before holding up the envelope. Her writing was not neat, but it was clearly legible._

_'2 - You  
3 - Me  
4 - Floor  
5 - Guys  
6 - Chicks  
7 - Heaven  
8 - Date  
9 - Rhyme  
10 - Categories  
J - Never Have I Ever  
Q - Questions  
K - King's Cup  
A - Rules'_

_"Cards set?"_

_Letty handed her the stack. Emma spread them in the circle around the cup in the middle._

_It was certainly plenty big._

_"Okay, so," Emma held up the paper again. "We go around the circle, taking turns drawing from the cards. As we see, each card has it's own value. When someone draws a two, they can pick anyone from the table to drink. If they draw a three, they have to drink themselves. If someone draws a four, everyone has to point to the floor, the last person to do so loses. They drink._

_"Whenever a five is drawn, all the guys have a social. Same thing if a six is drawn, except we," Emma waved at the four girls of the group, "have the social. Now, drawing a seven is the same as drawing a four, except everyone points to the ceiling, not the ground. Last person to do so loses-"_

_"Let me guess, they drink?" Letty asked dryly, smirking when Emma glanced at her._

_"See? It's easy to follow. Now, when someone draws an eight, they get to pick someone else to drink with. From that point on, anytime they drink, their 'date' has to as well. Nine is rhyme, person who draws it can pick a word or a phrase and it just goes around. You have to say a word or phrase that rhymes with it, if you don't, you drink, next person draws their card. Ten is categories, pick any topic, and then once again we go around the circle. Say I chose U.S. Presidents. The first person to not be able to name a president loses, has to drink."_

_"I'm sensing a pattern," Vince said, taking an empty seat._

_Emma grinned at him._

_"Like I said... this game is purely to get you drunk. Oh, and you can't repeat an answer, or you lose automatically. Anyhow, drawing a Jack means a game of 'Never Have I Ever'. Everyone holds up three fingers, someone says something they've never done, and if you've done it you put down a finger, yeah? First person to put down all three of their fingers, loses. Drawing a Queen means a game of question. The person who draws can ask anyone at the table a question. That person has to immediately ask someone else a different question. It can be however vulgar you want, the aim is to catch them off guard, because as soon as they hesitate, that person loses."_

_"I got that one," a guy said, grinning widely. Jason was well known for asking inappropriate questions that usually ended up with someone speechless._

_"Then, when a King is drawn, that person has to pour some of _WHATEVER _they're drinking into the King's cup."_

_She pointed to the blue cup in the middle of the table. _

_"The person that draws the last King has to chug the King's Cup in one go. When all four Kings are drawn, the game's over."_

_"And what does 'Rules' mean?"_

_Emma looked at the envelope._

_"Oh, right. Well, when an Ace is drawn, that person gets to establish a rule. It can be humiliating, hilarious, for the whole group, for just one person, whatever. That rule remains active until someone draws another Ace and changes it.'_

_"Sounds like a fun time."_

_Stacy, Leon's lady friend, drew the first card._

_"Four?"_

_Emma pointed to the hard wood floor, and several motions followed hers._

_"Drink up," she said to Jason with a wicked grin._

_A dozen cards later and the noise level started to rise as more and more alcohol was consumed, and more and more arguments and trash-talk started._

_"ACE!" Emma shouted as she looked at the card she pulled, before showing it around._

_She looked around the table grinning._

_"Every time someone drinks, they have to compliment me. If you forget, then you have to drink again."_

_There was a mass protest, but Emma shrugged it off as Letty drew her card._

_It was a three. The latino woman sighed, lifting her beer before she hesitated, the whole table watching her. _

_She ran her tongue over the front of her teeth, before glancing at Em._

_She let out another breath._

_"You have nice eyes," she bit out finally, and the table broke into laughter as Vince whooped, slapping her on the back._

_"I always knew Letty girl."_

_Letty sneered at her friend as she took a sip of her beer. She shoved his shoulder._

_"Your turn."_

_Vince drew an eight, and he turned to Letty, with a wide grin on his face._

_"I'm sure you'd make a fine date," he said, holding up his beer._

_Letty gritted her teeth and glared, but reluctantly tapped her bottle with his._

_"Hey Em, I think you're hott," Vince said, without hesitation, before downing the rest of his drink._

_Letty glanced at Vince with her own grin, before turning back._

_"You're a great racer," she said, avoiding another more personal comment. Vince grunted as he got up to get another Corona. _

_That had not been his plan._

_Another couple of rounds, and the King's cup was nearly full. The group was steadily getting louder._

_"Never have I ever... uhm... oh! Never have I ever raced a motorcycle!"_

_Emma rolled her eyes, and Jason joined her 'boo'ing at the answer, but their fingers went down._

_"Never have I ever raced a car," she retaliated._

_The clamor was even louder._

_"Aw, come on!"_

_"Hey, even is even!"_

_Letty looked around at the table, noticing that most people had two fingers up. Both Jason and Leon, who had joined half way through the first round, only had one finger left each._

Come on chica, keep it simple!_ she __thought._

_"Never have I ever, in the past week, kissed a ginger," she said with a smirk. _

_Only Leon put his finger down, and the group broke into cheers._

_"Drink up Le!"_

_The rest of the table joined in the chant, and Leon grinned in good nature, catching Emma's eyes._

_"You have a nice ass," he called over the din before taking a swig from his mixed drink. The table exploded into laughs._

_On his turn, Vince drew the second Ace, and he waved the group quiet before he set down his rule._

_"Let's clean it up a bit, huh? Every time someone curses, they have to drink," he said finally. There was a loud disagreement to this, but the game continued, with much more drinking than before._

_Jason got his wish when Stacy drew a Queen. The red head looked around at the group before speaking._

_"What time is it?" _

_"What color is your underwear?"_

_"How do you argue with stupid?"_

_"Can we please move on?"_

_"Why is this so hard right now?"_

_"Why do I care?"_

_"Do you bite?"_

_"Would that interest you?" Emma returned._

_"Did you cut your hair?"_

_"Why isn't a black box black?_

_"How's your mom doing?"_

_Vince's eyes flashed when Jason's question was directed at him._

_"I'll kill you."_

_"OHHH, THAT WASN'T A QUESTION!"_

_Vince looked around, but rolled his eyes and drank, before glaring at Jason._

_"Fucker."_

_"Drink again!" Letty laughed, slapping him on the back. "Man, done in by your own rule."_

_It was several __games__, and several hours,__ later when the group finally broke apart. Some stumbled off, while a few just sat at the table, chatting in small groups._

_"I am so beyond buzzed right now," Emma admitted with a slight slur, once Letty sat down with another drink._

_"I was buzzed a few hours ago," she responded thickly. "I'm effishen... no, suffishen?" Letty paused, brow furrowed, before she continued on. _

_"I dunno... I'm drunk."_

_Emma laughed, drinking her beer._

_"Amen to that," she agreed, toasting the smaller woman. She unsuccessfully stifled a yawn, before downing the rest of her beer._

_"I'm done-ski."_

_"You staying the night then?"_

_Emma looked to the clock. 4:28AM. _

_"I think I already did," she said, tilting her head as her brian tried to process the information._

_Letty shrugged, and Emma folded her arms on the table, resting her head on them. _

_"Tired then?"_

_Not lifting her head, Emma nodded. _

_"The couch is kinda taken. And I am totally not able to drive anywhere right now."_

_It was covered in empty cups and bits of food. Letty shook her head._

_"Come on," Letty ordered, as she dragged the brunette away from the table, both girls unsteady on their feet. Letty lead her up the stairs._

_"Just worry about sleeping. You'll be okay later," she said, leading the two into her room, pushing Emma towards the bed. She left to change in the bathroom, and when she got back, Emma was already passed out on the far side. Letty shook her head, grabbing the thicker cotton sheet for herself._

_She was asleep within moments, aided by the alcohol._

* * *

Yeah, so I dunno. Just thought I'd throw this in there. Kings is easily one of my favorite party games. Anyhow, I am working on the next part, so it should be out, hopefully, in a couple days. Never fear.


	7. Chapter 6A

My mom's coming down tonight for my matches tomorrow! She may or may not be bringing my niece... who is, I might add, the cutest 17 month old EVER.

* * *

In the weeks that followed, Emma became a semi-familiar face at the team's house, as she was there at least a couple times a week. The rest of the racing crowd had accepted her presence as well; she was just a charismatic person. She worked her way easily into people's lives with her laid back, childish attitude, and she almost always had a smile on her face.

At the moment she was suffering through the last half-hour of her shift. It was a slow point of the night, and she contented herself to wiping down the counter.

"So, Aim... you all unpacked yet?" she asked the other bartender who was on duty with her. Aimee was a college student who worked early morning shifts due to her night classes. She and her boyfriend were just moving into an apartment together.

"Yeah, Jeremy and I just finished up earlier, actually."

"That's good then."

"Yeah. You know how it is to finally get settled in and all."

Emma agreed.

"So what about you?" the black girl asked.

"I will be heading out to the track later, actually. Racing today."

"Motocross right?"

Emma nodded.

"Yep."

"Is it hard?"

Emma shrugged.

"I dunno. Personally, I don't think it is. But I grew up on a bike, around the sport, you know? It's just natural to me."

"Right."

"But yeah, my first race is at 2, so I will be out of the house at about 11. Maybe five hours of sleep."

Aimee grimaced.

"That sucks."

Emma nodded.

"It's not ideal, but not the worst I've had it. I got everything together before I came here, so all I'll have to do is eat and load up, and I'll be set to go."

"That's good then."

Emma 'hmm'ed, tossing the rag into a bucket under the counter.

"Sure is."

The final ten minutes finished, and Emma passed Max, who was coming to replace her, on her way out. Only two people were on shift during the day, as only the Pub part was open from 6-6. Emma got home quickly, backing up to the garage to hitch the small trailer to her Jeep. The forecast for the day was clear, the sky was already starting to brighten, and she put her racing gear into the back of the jeep (it took two bags) and rolled both of her YZ250s onto the trailer, using the several thick straps to secure them in place.

Finished she stepped back, wiping her hands on her jacket. With the back up bike, she did not bother to load extra parts, as she was only signed up for two races (it was a small tournament), but she did load a 5 gallon gas canister, and a tool box, into the back of her jeep before heading into the house.

In her room, she quickly changed into something more comfortable for sleeping before shoving Tye to make room for herself on the bed. She fell asleep easily.

* * *

"Hey hey!"

Letty looked up from the magazine, meeting Emma's blue eyes. A smile found it's way to her lips, and she nodded at the other girl.

"Hey Em. What's up?"

Emma jerked her head to the street, and Letty saw the trailer.

"Got a race today. Just wanted to pick up some food before I head to the tracks, you know?"

"Let me guess," Mia said, turning to grab food supplies. "Large Italian, no tomatoes, light on the mayo."

Emma grinned.

"It's like you read my mind."

Mia rolled her eyes.

"Sure it is."

"So how about you two?"

"Working," Mia said, pausing in her slicing to wave the knife in a circle over her head.

Letty shook her head.

"Trying to not be bored."

"That's a tough one."

"Tell me about it."

Emma grabbed a bag of dog treats and a gallon of water, placing both on the counter.

"Tye?"

Emma nodded.

"Tye," she affirmed.

Letty looked over to the Jeep again, seeing the shaggy gray and white head clearly, as Tye was sitting on the back seat.

"It's a nice day."

"Perfect for racing. What are you up to later?"

Letty shrugged.

"Whatever comes up."

The garage had closed early for the weekend, since business was so slow as of late. She looked back to Emma, who was grinning.

"So you're free for a few hours then?"

Letty quirked an eyebrow at the question, shooting a glance around the room.

"Apparently."

There was a pause of silence.

"Wanna come with?"

The question caught that latino off guard, and she blinked before she answered.

"To a race?"

Emma shrugged.

"I don't like driving alone for more than a half hour or so. And... well, I'm sure Tye wouldn't mind some company when I'm on the track."

Letty looked over to Mia, who had looked up from the sandwich. Mia shrugged.

"Go for it. I'm all set here."

She thought it over for a second, before nodding slowly.

"Yeah, okay then."

Emma's grin was contagious.

"Sweet deal."

"Hey Mi, you wanna make me up something real quick, too?"

She was already sliding a pre-made sandwich down the counter, as she wrapped up the sub for Emma.

"$3.86."

Emma paid her with a twenty.

"Thank you, as always," she said, winking to the taller woman. Mia chuckled, waving a hand at her.

"Get out of here. You don't want to be late."

Emma laughed.

"Ma'am, yes ma'am," she replied, turning back to Letty.

"You good then?"

Letty shrugged, nodding.

"Do I need something else?"

"Nope. Your fine self is plenty."

Letty laughed.

"Damn straight it is. Don't you forget."

"Let's go then. See ya, Mia."

"Later girl," Letty added.

"Yeah, yeah. I don't want you two coming back with injuries!"

"I promise nothing."

Mia only shook her head as her two friends got into the Jeep and they drove off.

* * *

"So how does this work?" Letty asked, watching as Emma put on her gear over her tank top and shorts. Her racing colors were navy and white, and the number plates on her bike read 218, as did the back of her jersey, under the name 'Morgan'.

"Well, it's actually different from like... nascar or something. This is a two race competition, each race is thirty minutes, plus two laps."

Letty nodded after a moment.

"Okay. What does that mean, exactly?"

Emma sat on the end of the trailer, buckling up her boots.

"Well, after the allotted time, who ever has the lead is given a warning for two more laps. By the end of those two, the race is finished."

"So it's more about endurance?"

"And consistency."

"Right."

Emma nodded.

"Anyhow, the end winner is determined by how they did in both races. Their rank from the first race and from the second race are combined, and the lowest wins. In the event of a tie, the winner will be whoever placed better in the second race."

Letty nodded, understanding it more after the brief explanation.

"Hey Morgan, don't get too upset when I beat you, huh?"

Emma rolled her eyes, but grinned at the new voice.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that Philips," she shot back. Jamie was a big girl, and she was one of Emma's more serious competitions.

"Really? Because you should."

"In your dreams."

The two grinned at each other one last time before Jamie continued on her way.

"I take it that's normal?"

Emma rose to her feet, nodding.

"Yep."

She looked at a couple more of the faces she would be up against.

"Geez, I feel so old."

A lot of them were still in high school.

"Well, that just means you have more experience."

"There's that too. Anyhow," Emma rolled off one of the bikes, kicking it started. Tye barked at the engine for a moment before he calmed down.

"I have about twenty minutes before I need to be at the gates. I'm gonna go ride the trails for a few, just, you know... get in the zone."

Letty nodded and Emma put on her helmet, before flipping the kick stand up with the heel of one boot. Her hand twisted the throttle lightly before she shifted down to first, letting off the clutch slowly. Letty watched as she rode off and disappeared down one of the trails.

"So I guess we just get to sit around and wait a whole lot, huh boy?" she said finally, settling down where Emma had been sitting on the trailer only moments before. Tye sat on the ground next to her, placing his head on her knee.

Fifteen minutes later and the announcer gave a five minute warning for all Women's 250 riders. Emma returned shortly after, and Letty and Tye walked with her over to the track.

"Good luck?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Letty nodded and lead Tye away from the track to the stands. Tye obediently sat next to her as she leaned against the railing. One guy was a dozen yards out, holding a wooden sign with a '30' on it, over his head. He tilted it sideways after a few seconds, then dropped his arms as he ran off the edge of the track.

The gate dropped, and Letty watched as Emma got one of the quicker starts, going into the first corner near the front of the bunch.

"And Philips gets the holeshot, but Carlyle, Anderson, and Morgan are right on her tail."

Though it was not anything special, as far as dirt bike races went, it was Letty's first, and she watched with avid interest as the racers took on each new obstacle. She listened to the commentary, only understanding half of what they were saying.

"Oh, and Philips seems to have caught the wrong edge of that rut. She keeps control, but looses the lead as Morgan blows by for the next stretch. It's going to be a rough one."

Letty watched as the bikes, some more than others, rocked wildly over a group of short hills on the stretch.

"Morgan makes good time through the whoops course, and look at her go."

Letty grinned when Emma pulled into a clear lead, unhindered from the various jumps, hills, and turns. The last jump was right next to the stands, and Emma's bike turned sideways in the air. Letty watched in fascination as her bike started it's quick decent from nearly 25 feet in the air. She kept staring, even when Emma landed smoothly and kept going.

"Well folks, only a couple minutes in, and it looks like this race might already be determined, as Morgan takes a commanding lead!"

_I need to learn how to ride a bike, _Letty thought, feeling the energy build up as the race continued on.

"And there's the end of the 30 minutes, with just two laps left, Morgan is still well ahead of the crowd."

Jamie seemed to rise to the challenge however, and the yellow clad racer started closing the gap slowly between first and second, pulling away from the rest of the pack. It was too late in the race, however, and Emma maintained her lead for first place.

Letty was still too strung up to even clap with the rest of the crowd.

"That was crazy," she told the other woman afterwards, when they were back at the Jeep. Emma was lounging on the back seat, hands over her eyes.

"Its so freaking hot out," Emma complained.

Her tank top was drenched with sweat. Letty grabbed one of the water bottles that was packed in the cooler, handing it to the tired girl. Emma took it gratefully, holding it against her head.

"Is it always like that?"

"No, sometimes it's warmer. Those days suck."

Letty shot her annoyed look, and Emma grinned.

"Yeah, pretty much. Next race is in an hour and a half, so we have some time to kill."

The Jeep was parked under a tree, and the shade did offer a certain amount of coolness.

"Okay. So... what's a holeshot?"

"A holeshot? Well, it's... I dunno, it's just the term that refers to the person who takes the lead out of that first turn."

"That's it?"

Emma nodded.

"Pretty much."

"What about that whoops course?"

Emma paused again.

"You ever been skiing or snowboarding?"

Letty shook her head.

"Oh... well, I was gonna compare it to moguls, but never mind. It's just a stretch of the track with a handful of little hills, about three feet high, four to six feet apart. Best bet is to get enough speed so that your tires only touch the top of them, avoid the valleys altogether."

"That's what you did, right?"

"That's what I did."

Letty nodded, and Emma shifted, looking around.

"Man, I need to wind down, without cooling down."

"Okay."

"Wanna go for a walk?"

"Sure."

Emma hooked Tye to his leash and the three set off, walking around the parameter of the track.

"So, how was growing up in LA?"

Letty looked at Emma, slightly confused.

"What?" Emma asked. "I mean, as much as we know each other, I can't remember ever talking about your family."

"Or your family," Letty pointed out.

"Hey, I asked you first."

Letty smirked.

"Of course. I dunno, it was okay I guess. Like it is now. Haven't lived anywhere else, so I don't know what to compare it to."

"What about your family?"

Letty studied Emma for a moment before shrugging.

"My dad left when I was a baby. My mom raised me and my older sister. Nita lives over in Long Beach, with her husband and kid."

Emma grinned.

"Kid?"

"My nephew. I see them a couple times a month."

"That's cute."

Letty nodded.

"Yeah, he's a pretty cool kid."

"So did you grow up in the same house?"

"At Mia's?" Letty laughed. "No, I lived down the street from her. My mom's still there, actually, she's a nurse. Mia's was always my second home though. Her brother and father were always working on cars and racing, so that sort of clinched it for me."

"I didn't know Mia had a brother."

Letty shrugged.

"He doesn't come up in conversation too often."

"What happened to him?"

Letty hesitated.

"Shit went down, Dom got in trouble with the law. Skipped out to Mexico, last we heard he was in Peru or something. We dated for the longest time up until then. I was originally going to follow him, but... well there were complications, and then my mom got sick, so I stayed behind to help her get better and with things around the house. But I'm still afraid for her, you know? Don't think I'll leave her to herself anytime soon."

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

Letty just nodded as a silence fell between the two.

"Well, I'm glad you stayed. I mean, not that your mom got sick, but... if you weren't here, I would probably have half the friends that I do now."

Letty shook her head.

"I doubt it."

"If you say so."

* * *

Okay, so when I was writing this I though 'this is really getting kinda long'. So I'm splitting this chapter into two! Because... yeah. I don't want to make one random chapter that's twice as long as any other, you know? The second shall be out... nowish. As soon as I check it over again, and tweak it a bit.


	8. Chapter 6B

Okay, here's the second part of that last chapter. Yay.

* * *

"So what about you?"

"Me?"

"Yeah... I told you about me. Now tell me about you. You grew up in Boston, right?"

"A bit outside of Boston actually. On the Cape. My parents and me."

"What's it like there?"

Emma tore her gaze away from the race that was currently in progress.

"More rural. I didn't have any siblings, just Kyle. He was that dorky kid next door, but our parents were friends, so even though he's you know... two years older, we were almost always together."

Letty smirked. She could picture a younger Kyle in her head.

"Anyhow, my dad was a professional motocross racer, so I grew up around bikes and tracks. I learned how to ride a dirt bike when I was about three, I knew how to rebuild the top end of a bike when I was, like... eight or something. And Kyle was always around because of our parents."

"What about your mom?"

"My mom... she died when I was twelve. I can't remember the name, but she had a problem with her heart, pretty much my whole life. One day I left for school, she had one of her appointments. When I got back she wasn't there anymore."

"Wow."

"Yeah," Emma chuckled. "What I remember about her, though... she was always trying to make me be more of a girl. Undo my dad's evil work."

Letty grinned.

"How'd she do that?"

"I was enrolled in dance. Since I was about four, she was always forcing me to dress up and go to classes and recitals. When she died though... I dunno, I just stuck with it. I guess something to stay close to her by." Emma shook her head. "I haven't been to a dance class in months though. No one seems to know of a good place around here."

"I could ask around. Probably find something pretty easy."

Emma grinned.

"Oh, by all means. You know this area way better than I do."

"What kind of dance did you do?"

"Well, I started off with ballet. I transitioned into hip-hop when I got to high school, though."

"Cool. And what about your dad?"

When she did not receive an answer, Letty looked over to Emma. She was leaning against the rail, looking over the track with a small, sad smile on her face.

"He died last year. Lung cancer."

Letty looked down. _How do you respond to that?_

"Sorry."

"Hey, you didn't make him smoke."

"No, but that sucks."

Emma nodded.

"He had started street racing when I was in high school, as well. Sort of divided our attention, dirk bikes one day, street bikes the next, you know?"

"You seem to have picked it up okay, though."

"I guess I did. I dunno, after everything was all settled with my dad, I just... I had to get away, you know? And my dad left me everything, so I had a small fortune of bikes and money at my fingertips. When I decided I wanted to move, Kyle jumped at the chance. I still own the house up there, but Kyle's parents are keeping after it for me."

They stood for a few more moments before Emma pulled herself away from the railing, continuing her stroll. Letty followed.

"And now you're way out here."

She nodded.

"Yep."

"So, you think you're far enough away?"

Emma chuckled.

"Yeah. This is working for me."

"Good."

Eventually the pair made their way back to the Jeep, and they sat in an agreeable silence as they ate, listening to the crowd and engines from the race.

"Women's 250 will begin in five minutes."

"Hey Philips! Don't cry too hard this time, yeah?"

Jamie paused as she was passing the Jeep.

"You wish."

Letty was relieved to see Emma back to her normal self. Solemnity did not suit the younger girl.

Emma put on the top half of her gear again, before sliding on her gloves and hooking her helmet on one wrist, so she had both hands to push the bike. Letty grabbed Tye's leash, once again walking with her to the gate, where half of the other riders already were getting ready.

"Keep it up."

Emma grinned.

"Just watch me."

Letty managed to secure the same spot that she had during the first race, and she waited for the gate to drop with the rest of the crowd. Emma was the first one out this time.

"And it looks like Morgan is picking up right where she left off, as she grabs the holeshot. Philips seems to be out for redemption, however. Will she succeed?"

Letty was glad when she did not manage a come back.

* * *

"That looks like so much fun," she admitted to Emma, when they were loading her bike onto the trailer afterwards. Emma had changed out of her gear, and into a fresh tank top and denim shorts.

"It's a lot of work."

"But still. It's worth it right?"

Emma laughed, as they started strapping the bike into place.

"Totally worth it."

"Motocross is amazing. I wish I knew how to-"

Letty stopped abruptly, cutting off that sentence.

"Knew how to what?"

"You know... race," she fabricated.

"You do race."

"Not like that!" she waved to the track. "On a bike, off road. Nothing against racing on road, I love it, but it seems totally different."

"It is different," Emma assured her. Letty was almost positive that this was the first time she had ever seen the younger woman with her hair tied back. Even when she was racing, she only bunched it up under her helmet.

"Exactly."

Tye was already on the back seat of the Jeep, watching them work.

"You've never driven a bike before, have you?" Emma asked suddenly.

Letty pursed her lips for a moment before avoiding the question.

"What makes you think that?"

"Well I just remember, when I gave you a ride back that night... you said you had never been on a bike before. So I just figured-"

"Oh, right."

_So much for covering it up._

"Wanna learn?"

Letty froze.

"What?"

"Do you want to learn how to ride a motorcycle? I mean, it may take a while, but who knows... maybe we can get you into an amateur race after enough practice."

"I... seriously?"

Emma nodded, with a grin.

"Yeah, what are you up to tomorrow?"

"Absolutely nothing."

"There you go. Kyle and I are heading back here early morning, with the four-wheelers. Whole day trip, trail riding. You can come with us. With this trailer, and his truck there is more than enough room for the 125."

"The 125?"

"It's the size down from this," she said, tapping the seat of her bike. "Its a better learner bike. Smaller, not as much power."

"Well... what time are you leaving?"

Emma shrugged.

"Pretty early, probably around six. You can stay over our place tonight."

Thinking it over, Letty realized she had never been to Emma's house before. She was not even sure where it was, exactly. Emma was either at a race, at the club, at the store, or over at Mia's when they hung out.

"We can pick some stuff up for me right?"

"Yeah, no problem. And I have more than enough extra riding gear back home."

Letty grinned.

"Alright then."

"Cool beans."

Letty shot her a weird look, but shook her head at the terminology.

"Are we all set here?" Letty asked. Emma packed the decent size trophy she had won in one of the duffel bags.

"We are now."

"Let's go then."

* * *

"So you'll be back tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, I'll be at the races."

Mia nodded, looking out the front door to where the dirt covered jeep was half on the sidewalk. She shook her head at the poor parking, somehow knowing that Emma did not particularly care.

"Okay. See you then, Let."

"Later chica."

Mia watched her friend jog down the steps and climb back into the Jeep, before returning Emma's wave, with a grin. She shook her head.

"She's a good kid. She's just odd," she convinced herself, shutting the door. She joined Jesse on the couch, fighting for the remote.

* * *

The sun was still shining when Emma turned up the curved, sloped driveway. Letty studied the area in interest. It was fairly close to her neighborhood, but in a more suburban part of LA. Letty hopped out of the Jeep when Emma stopped, and the pair unhitched the trailer as Tye ran into the yard, barking as he chased a butterfly.

Kyle's truck was already there, and the light in the kitchen signaled where he was.

"Oh, lookie. He already got the ATVs together!"

Letty followed Emma's gaze, and she did a double take at the garage. It had as many bikes as their shop had cars.

Which is to say a lot.

She helped Emma unload both dirt bikes and push them into the garage, setting them in their original place. Emma waved Letty over to a much smaller bike.

"This is a Yamaha TT-R125. Clearly I am a big Yamaha fan, almost all of my bikes are Yamaha. Anyhow, this is 2003, five-speed. We'll get to the bigger details tomorrow. Let's just grab some gear for you," she said, leading the shorter woman up to the loft. She took the trophy out of her bags, placing it aside so she would not leave it in the garage.

"Okay, so you're pretty much my size," Emma decided, giving her a once over. "What, an inch shorter or so?"

Letty shrugged.

"Well, whatever. Let's see..."

She handed Letty one of the several gym bags before she rummaged through the off road dresser, pulling out white and gray pants, shirt, and gloves. She handed them to Letty, who put them in the bag she had.

"Kyle teases me about it, but I'm really color specific. I like it when things match," Emma explained, as she grabbed a white and silver helmet, goggles, and black boots. Letty fit the boots and goggles into the bag, but left out the helmet.

"I believe that should do it," she nodded her head. She grabbed the trophy before heading down the loft. They left the additional bag next to the rest of the stuff ready for tomorrow, before Emma shut the garage door behind them. Letty followed her into the house, with Tye running right behind him. Kyle was moving around in the kitchen, checking the oven and a pot of water on the stove.

"Hey Kyle."

Kyle looked over in surprised at being addressed.

"Letty? What's up?"

"I invited her along for tomorrow."

Kyle nodded at Emma's statement.

"That's cool. You don't mind pasta, do you?" he asked the latino. Letty shook her head.

"Sounds great. I'm always down for food."

"Ahh, so that's why you get along so well with Em."

"Probably."

Letty watched them interact with interest. She did not see them together very often.

"So..."

"I'll give you a tour," Em offered. "Though it's kinda a small place, so that's not really necessary."

Letty smirked.

"Still."

"Well, food will be ready in about 15 minutes," Kyle informed them.

"Thanks Tiny."

He rolled his eyes.

"Well, this is Kyle's room. Don't touch anything, he gets very cranky if you do. And behind door number two... yes, it's Kyle's bathroom. Probably the second cleanest room in the house."

Letty sniggered when Kyle told her, less than politely, to shut up.

"Clearly we are now in the living room," Emma said as they left through the open doorway off the kitchen. There was a large wrap around couch in the far corner, and an equally large entertainment system against the near wall. Several posters were hung all around, sports and otherwise. Another room off to the side had a large table, a second, smaller, refrigerator, and shelves all around the room. It was more of a display area, between trophies (Emma added her newest one to the collection) and different liquor bottles. On one shelf there was even a stack of games, and Letty shook her head.

"And this concludes the upstairs."

"Cute," Letty commented dryly.

"Very. Come on."

Emma lead them back into the kitchen, and down the basement stairs, flicking on the light. Letty looked around with a smile. The room managed to say everything about Emma's personality, without being overwhelming like the girl sometimes was.

"This your dad?"

Emma nodded.

"That's him alright."

Letty looked at the collages of photographs, mostly of Emma and friends, but some of family and school.

"You played basketball?" she asked, interested.

"Yep, all five years of high school."

Letty snorted.

"Five years?"

Emma looked away.

"Yeah, I had troubles with English. And History to a lesser extent. In the end my grades were just enough for eligibility, but I had to come back for a fifth year to make up some credits."

"English? What's with all the books then?"

Emma grinned sheepishly.

"They're all the kids versions."

"Why?"

Emma cleared her throat, mumbling a reply.

"What?"

"I have severe dyslexia. Have a hard time reading and writing, since English is pretty much all reading and writing, and History too, well... self-explanatory. That's why I like bartending, it's all numbers. Mix this amount with that amount. Math, Science, and electives were the only thing I did good at. Well, except foreign languages."

She shifted with Letty's gaze on her. Realizing this, Letty looked away, looking at the titles of movies.

There was a small binding that did not fit in, and Letty took it out of the row curiously.

_'Cape Town High School'_

"Your diploma?" she asked, opening it. Emma lunged for the book, snapping it shut.

"Yep. We can pass on that though."

Letty raised an eyebrow.

"After that? No way in hell. Give it."

Emma took a step back, shaking her head.

"Don't make me use force."

Emma still refused, and Letty tackled the girl onto the bed, taking her by surprise. The book slipped from her grasp, and Letty grabbed it, flipping it open.

"Emmaline Rachel Morgan. Your name is Emmaline?" she asked, laughing.

Emma shoved her to the side, sitting up and folding her arms.

"My parents had a thing for... Elizabethan sounding names."

At Letty's incredulous look, Emma shrugged.

"Okay, so, my mom liked... proper titles, I guess you could say. My dad preferred biblical names, I mean... AJ stands for Adam Joseph. Seriously. Somehow they agreed on Emmaline Rachel."

"That works though. I mean, saying it all together."

Emma shrugged.

"My full name's Leticia," Letty admitted, after a moment. "Leticia Marie Ortiz. Just you know... to be fair."

"I won't tell if you won't tell."

"Deal."

"Food's ready!" Kyle's voice carried down the stairs.

"About time."

* * *

I do not know if there really is a high school called Cape Town, but it is not really important anyways. So we'll just pretend.


	9. Chapter 7

Yes... I fail. I had a real hard time just trying to sit down and concentrate on this chapter, so I'm very sorry it took longer than normal. I have more tennis tomorrow, and next week is the last week of classes. Then finals after that, so this is crunch time for me. I'm stressed beyond comprehension, I have more work that needs to be done than can be imagined, and... I don't have a lot of time to finish it. Yikes.

* * *

"Letty. Letty, wake up."

Letty ignored the voice, trying to sink further into the soft, warm bed. She inhaled deeply.

The pillow smelled like lavender.

"Fine. Five more minutes. Then I'm bringing out the big guns."

Letty managed to flip her wrist, waving the person away. True to her word, Emma returned five minutes later, Tye in tow.

The dog jumped onto the bed, nudging Letty's side with his snout. Letty jumped back.

"What the-"

She looked around, seeing the wood paneled walls.

"Oh... right."

"Come on. Kyle and I already loaded everything up."

Letty changed, following her up the stairs and into the kitchen, running a hand through her hair to try and untangle it.

She had forgotten her brush.

The trio, and dog, climbed into the truck. Letty had managed to snag the front seat, and Emma and Tye were lounged across the back one.

They were almost an hour into their trip when Kyle pulled into a small diner that was on the way to the track.

"Come on... today is a junk food day," he said, unclipping his belt. Emma cheered in the back seat while Letty blinked in confusion.

"Energy for the trails," Emma said, leaning in between the seats.

Letty slid out of the truck, blinking into the sun, which had finally rose. It had been mostly shaded on her side of the cab.

Kyle clicked the doors locked, as the three left Tye in the truck and entered the small eatery.

Letty looked over the menu with interest. Very rarely did she have a chance, or desire, to eat out so early in the morning.

"What can I start you off with?" a cheery teen asked, flipping open a note pad as she walked over to the table.

"Tea," Kyle said.

"Hot chocolate."

Letty looked back and forth from each roommate, before turning to the girl.

"Orange juice."

The girl marked it all on her sheet, smiling cheerfully as she disappeared behind the counter and into the kitchen. Letty turned to Emma, who was sitting between her and the wall.

"Isn't it a bit too warm to be having hot chocolate?"

Emma shrugged.

"Well, I can't drink coffee, and I don't like hot tea, so it's the next best thing."

Letty blinked.

"Why can't you drink coffee?"

"How long have you been hanging around with this girl?" Kyle questioned her.

Letty thought back, with a shrug.

"I dunno. Coming up on three months or so."

"Exactly. Do you honestly think she needs caffeine?" Kyle asked. "Ever."

Letty conceded to the point. Emma was as hyper as a small child at a state faire, and that was without any form of artificial energy.

She made a mental note to _not_ let that happen.

"Here you are. Are you all set to order?" the upbeat teen asked, minutes later as she distributed their drinks.

"Yeah, I'll take a ham and cheese omelet, home fries and sausage on the side."

The girl scribbled down the order, turning to the remaining two.

"Chocolate chip pancakes. Scrambled eggs instead of meat, and toast."

"What kind of toast?"

"Wheat. Could I get a glass of skim milk as well."

"Not a problem."

Letty looked over the menu one last time before turning towards the waitress.

"Two eggs, with home fries and bacon."

"How would you like those eggs?"

"Fried. Over easy."

She finished writing on the pad, assuring them that their food would be out in a bit. Letty was finally starting to wake up, and she looked around with interest.

The diner was like something from the early nineties, that you would see in a show or movies. Vintage. It was interesting, to say the least.

"So what's for dinner then?" Emma was asking Kyle, when she turned back to them.

"I dunno. We'll figure it out when it comes."

Emma scoffed.

"How boring."

Kyle shrugged, not looking particularly remorseful.

"So, Letty," he turned his attention from his roommate. Letty raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah?"

"How's life been? I don't see you too often."

Letty shrugged.

"Okay. Business at the garage has been pretty slow, so it's been hard to keep busy... but this helps."

Kyle grinned.

"Glad to hear it."

The trio chatted for nearly a half hour before their food arrived. The conversation quieted, starting up occasionally between interments of chewing. It was well passed 8AM when they made their way out of the diner and to the truck. The sun was already shining brightly, and it was apparent that the already hot air would just get hotter.

Once in the truck, Kyle turned on the vents. He claimed to not like the smell of artificial air that came with the air conditioner, and as such each window that could be opened, was opened.

"Put on something good," Emma ordered as they pulled out of the parking lot, and back to the road.

"CD's are back there."

Emma looked through the case, before picking up a blank CD.

"Mix?"

Kyle glanced back, and nodded.

"Probably. Toss it in, lets see."

Emma handed the CD up to Letty, who switched it with the one in the player, handing Rascal Flatts back. Emma rolled her eyes, but slid it into an empty spot.

She grinned widely when the laid back, relaxed sound of Marcy's Playground filled the cab.

_'Hangin' 'round,  
Downtown by myself.  
And I've had so much time,  
To sit and think about myself.  
And then there she was,  
Like double cherry pie.  
Yeah there she was,  
Like disco superfly...'_

Emma leaned against Tye.

"I haven't heard this song in forever," she admitted. It reminded her of when she was little, and her parents would bring her on road trips, music blaring and wind whipping strongly through the opened windows.

_'I smell sex and candy here.  
Who's that lounging,  
In my chair?  
Who's that casting,  
Devious stares,  
In my direction?  
Momma this surely,  
Is a dream.'_

So caught up in the feeling from the flashback, as she sang quietly along with the lyrics, she did not notice Letty looking back and studying her.

The Latino had never been big on music. It was at parties, it was at races, but she never actually paused to just listen to it. Most of the time it was rap or hip-hop, rarely something so laid back. But she did recall hearing the song a couple of times when she was younger.

And watching Emma sing and nod her head, eyes closed as she leaned against the dog, made her smile. It was such a candid moment, that Letty wished she owned a camera to capture it.

Kyle was nodding slightly with the beat as well. He studied his roommate in the rear view mirror, remembering the same things that she was. He glanced over at Letty, and was surprised to see that she was looking at Emma, with a small smile on her face.

She looked somewhere between amused and content, which was odd for Kyle, since he was used to the tough girl persona that she usually wore.

He turned back to the road, mind thinking as fast as he was driving. They pulled into the dirt lot shortly later, driving past most of the cars to the big field.

"Time for some fun," he said to both girls, shutting off the truck.

"Brilliant."

They piled out of the truck, Emma wrapping Tye's chain to a nearby tree. They then set about putting on the riding clothes and unloading the machines.

"Okay," Emma told Letty, after she straddled the dirt bike. "You know all about the clutch and shifting and gears... all that jazz. How not to stall an engine."

Letty rolled her eyes.

"Only since I was five."

"Exactly. I'm not going to explain that part. Riding is... well, it's actually pretty much like riding a pedal bike. Except, the engine does all the work, not you. And it's heavier. You have rode a pedal bike before, right?"

Letty gave her an annoyed look.

"What do you take me for?"

"Just checking. Balancing is pretty much the same, cornering too, except, you know... more weight, you have to be careful. Okay, anyway, the clutch is at the left handle bar, and throttle at the right handle bar. You have a hand break," Emma tapped the break just in front of the throttle. "And a foot break, right in front of your left foot peg."

Letty nodded, tapping it with her borrowed boots.

"Gear shifting is with your right foot. Neutral is a half click up from first. Second is a full click up from first, and then... yeah, you can guess."

Letty rolled her eyes again.

"Kick starting is not too hard. It might take a while before you can do it efficiently on the first try, but whatever. Don't feel bad."

Emma reached down to where Letty's right foot was at the peg, reaching to the side of the bike and turning the kick starter out.

"It's already in neutral, so go ahead. Try and start it."

Letty obeyed. It resisted at first, but she leaned her weight into the movement, and the engine sputtered before dying.

"It's like a lawn mower," she mumbled. Five more tries later and the bike was purring beneath her.

"Good. Now, you have the engine kill switch right here," Emma pointed to the flat red button next to the throttle. "And... that's... pretty much what you need to worry about for now. Just riding is really not as hard as you would think."

Letty raised an eyebrow doubtfully.

"Trust me. Try it out," Emma waved to the flat field. "Just go gently on the throttle and ease off the clutch. Otherwise you will pull a wheelie, and you will probably fall flat on your ass with the bike on top of you."

Letty took the advice and Emma grinned when she was riding slowly away from the group. Her turn back was slow, and stiff, but Emma did not expect too much more than that.

"We might make something of you yet," Emma informed her, when she was parked next to the car again, a minute later.

"Sure you will," Letty said, but she was smirking.

"Word of advice... pay extra attention to your back end. You know, rear wheel drive, just catch the edge of one rut, or one rock, it could kick out. I'm sure you'll see what I mean."

Letty accepted the helmet from the taller woman, putting it on quickly.

"Kyle, we'll meet you out there in about fifteen or twenty minutes. Just wanna take Letty around to get her used to it before I throw her on the trails," Emma informed her roommate. He nodded, taking off. Emma lead Letty on an easy cruise back across the parking lot and to the private road, that went on for a few miles. Letty pulled to a stop next to her as they looked down the road in the opposite direction they had driven in from.

Emma drove an easy pace that Letty kept up with in third gear. There was a curve in the road, and Letty followed the four wheeler around it, slightly nervous as it just winded further and further in either direction. It was several minutes later when they had stopped and turned around. Emma had more or less spun around, and Letty took the safer route, half walking the bike through a turn on the narrow roadway.

"You wanna see how fast that thing can go?" Emma asked, motioning with her right hand to help explain.

Letty though for a moment before nodding slowly.

"Sure."

Emma jerked her head down the dirt road, taking off. Letty followed much slower, but shifted up when the engine whined at her.

_This is... fun._

Letty was surprised to keep with Emma, but then logically concluded that the blue eyed girl was going only as fast as the dirt bike could go.

"You think you can handle the trails?"

Letty's nod was more sure this time.

"Lets do it."

You could not see Emma's grin behind the face shield, but her eyes lit up.

"Come on."

With that Emma lead Letty off to the trails.

"I'm surprised how well you took to that," she admitted later, when they were settled at a table near the concession stand.

"Yeah. Like you said, it's a lot like riding a normal bike," Letty replied after swallowing a bite of her burger. Emma was nodding in agreement though.

"But still."

Letty shrugged

"You racing tonight?"

Emma shook her head.

"No, but I was planning on going to watch," she replied.

"Bummer. I think I could beat you."

Emma laughed.

"Maybe one day we'll see."

Letty smirked, shaking her head slightly. Kyle was watching one of the heats that was going on at the track.

"Why don't I eat this more often?" Emma asked, taking a chunk out of her steak and cheese sub. Kyle glanced at her before turning to the race.

"It's not very healthy."

Emma scoffed.

"Says you."

Kyle did not bother to defend himself, but turned away from the track.

"So, a few more hours and we'll head back. Sound good?"

Emma shrugged.

"Works for me."

Letty agreed more slowly.

"Sure."

She wanted to get to the races early, but at the same time she did not want to stop riding.

"Don't worry," Emma said, as though reading her mind. "We can come back next weekend."

Letty grinned.

"Really? Great."

"We'll convert you yet."

* * *

"What, not bike today?" Carlos asked, when Emma climbed out of Kyle's truck later that night.

"Sorry C. I thought I'd let some other people win some cash tonight, you know?"

"No problem chica, I got you. Oh, meet Anthony! You missed him last week."

Emma sized up the dark haired guy. His brown eyes had a mocking gleam in them.

He gave the two New Englanders a lazy, but charming grin.

"Call me Ant."

Emma's eyes narrowed at his cocky tone. Kyle shook his hand.

"Kyle."

Emma ignored the proffered hand, but went ahead to greet herself anyway.

"I'm-"

"Rudy, right? Yeah, I've heard a lot about you."

Emma gave him a wide, though fake, smile.

"Good for you. I'll be going now," she turned on her heels, finding Letty's car in the crowd. She went over and leaned against the side of it, studying Letty and Jessie as they looked over the engine.

"So you met the newbie."

Emma scowled.

"I don't like him."

Letty chuckled.

"Don't worry about it. He's just some kid who thinks he's so hot because he's got daddy's money to blow on fancy parts."

Emma grunted.

"He any good?"

"Yeah, he's pretty good. But he's beatable." Jessie answered. Emma crossed her arms, looking at the newcomer through the mess of people.

"Well, I still don't like him."

"Why not?"

"He didn't let me talk. And he seems like an ass."

Over-confidence was one of the few things that annoyed her in a person. She did not have to interact with Ant any longer to pin-point his character.

"Well, whatever helps you sleep at night," Jessie dismissed her, as Letty was checking the fluids.

"Oh... I have absolutely no problems sleeping."

* * *

I got another muse. Well, yeah... additional:  
www . iballer . com/divas/rodriguez/images/r11_jpg . jpg

As usual, I am sorry for any errors or mistakes that I may have overlooked.


	10. Chapter 8

Okay, finals are done, I'm home and... I still need to unpack. And get a summer job. Easier said than done. And I'm very sorry this took so long, but just between school ending and the start of summer, and the lack of inspiration, it was slow working. But I forced myself to sit down and write for the last two days, so here we are. I will try to get the next chapter out soon.

* * *

"Ant, good race tonight man," Carlos slapped the newbie on the back. Emma rolled her eyes, barely containing her annoyance as she turned from the scene.

"What's your deal?"

Emma turned to Kyle before rolling her eyes again, shaking her head.

"Don't worry about it."

Kyle tried to stare her down, but Emma avoided the gaze with expert practice.

"Party at Las Noches!"

Emma's head snapped around.

"Why there?" she asked Carlos.

"Because, we need good drinks and loud music."

Emma narrowed her eyes when Ant answered, turning away from the pair.

"Whatever," she said shortly. "Lissa can't say I don't bring in customers," Emma added in a mumble. Nevertheless, she clambered into Kyle's truck, as the crowd slowly dispersed.

They made it to the club in record time, not even speeding, and Kyle drove down to the back, parking in Emma's normal spot. Emma let them in through the back door, slipping her keys into the pocket of her skin tight, mid-thigh denim shorts. They made their way up to the club.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Tim asked, seeing Emma when she walked over. He was one of the few male bartenders.

"I just thought I'd warn you. The crowd is about to pick up."

Melissa cursed.

"How bad?"

"You remember when there was that pool tournament?"

Melissa gritted her teeth, not liking where it was going, but nodded.

"Yeah, worse than that."

The brunette let her head fall to the counter, as for the moment it was a slower point in the night. Sure enough, hardly five minutes later, people started pouring through the doors.

"Shoot me now."

"If you need help just holler," Emma ordered, turning from the group with a nod. Aside from Tim and Melissa, Jenny was back on the clock, and Emma knew that Aimee would be in within the hour.

"Where did you go?" Letty called over the music, a few minutes later.

Emma grinned.

"Here!"

Letty rolled her eyes, shaking her head slightly. Emma watched the other woman head off towards the pool table, smile disappearing as she bit the inside of her cheek when Ant passed.

"I really don't like him."

"You don't even know him," Kyle said, voice close to her ear. She turned her head slightly.

"What's your point?"

Her roommate just shook his head at her stubbornness.

"Nothing! I said nothing."

Emma's attention turned to the bar, seeing an overwhelming amount of people surrounding it.

"Hey, find me when you want to leave," she ordered the blonde, making her way through the crowd. She levered herself over the counter, landing easily on the other side.

"What do you want?" She asked Carlos, who took her appearance by surprise.

"This is where you work?"

"My nine to five," she affirmed shortly. "So what can I get you Carlos?"

"I need two beers."

"Any kind?"

"Any kind."

She served him, accepting the money and tip with a smile as she moved to the next customer.

"Em, you need to do something about your crowd," Melissa finally said nearly two hours later. The group in the Lounge was still overwhelming, several pool tournaments in progress. Emma sighed, stepping back from the bar as she looked out over the crowd. There were not nearly as many people on the dance floor. She grinned, trailing her hand along Melissa's back as she passed.

"I got it, don't worry."

Melissa looked skeptical, but nodded as Emma made her way away from the bar and across the dance floor. She tugged Kyle along when she passed him, and they both climbed up to the raised platform the DJ was on, who Emma tapped on the shoulder.

"What's up babe?" the Hawaiian boy asked smoothly. Caden's white teeth contrasted sharply with his tanned skin.

"I wanna start a dance off, you down?"

The recently graduated high school senior laughed, nodding his head.

"Hell yeah, you know it Em."

"Good, use that little dominating loud speaker thing," she ordered Kyle, turning to him. "Say something to gather everyone onto the dance floor. When I signal you, start up our song."

She waived between Caden and herself. Kyle nodded.

"Wait, our song? We've never tried them in front of a crowd. And you're a bit out of practice. Are you sure?"

Emma rolled her eyes.

"If I wasn't sure I wouldn't have said it. And I've been working on it, okay? Have a little faith."

"Oh, don't worry babe. You have all of mine," the teen assured her. "Just checking, my rep is on the line here."

Though they flirted lightly, when it came down to it Caden was more of a little brother to Emma. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, like you have one."

"You know I do, doll face."

Emma nodded, grinning.

"Right, sure."

"Which dance though?" Kyle asked before they could leave.

"The easiest one," she said, as though accusing him of even having to ask. "I wanna start off light."

"Okay."

She hopped off the high level, landing easily on the floor, followed by Caden. She started slowly clearing people from the center of the room. The commotion drew some attention but Kyle's announcement grabbed most of the people.

"What's up everybody? You havin' a good time? Enjoyin' some good tunes, some good company, some good booze?"

There was a clamor of agreement.

"That's what we like to hear," though he was not a DJ, he had hung out with Caden enough to pick up some tricks, and he was confident that he could hold his own for at least the one song. "Now, my second favorite girl in this whole building has issued a challenge. You think you can take her and DJ Cade, step right up. If you just want to have a great time, see some totally hot moves, well, that works too."

Emma noted, with satisfaction, that nearly half of the crowd in the lounge had cleared out. She caught Melissa's eye, and the dark haired woman was nodding gratefully. Emma swallowed thickly, looking at the crowd. It had been a long while since she had danced in front of a lot of people.

_No problem Em. Just like a recital, no biggie._

It was different seeing a sea of faces that she knew fairly well, extremely well on some parts. She let out a long breath, before taking another in.

_So the bar's a bit higher. You got it._

The transition to hip-hop had been easy, but she had slowly been learning some break-dancing before she had moved. She picked up on it decently, but it was not until she had met Caden months prior that she had really started dedicating time to it. The teen had been break-dancing since he was ten, and together the two had created several routines, some a mix of both of their styles and some just different. It was true she had not had a dance lesson in several months, but with Caden's help she had not completely ignored it.

She took a deep breath, wiping the palms of her hands on the bottom of her royal blue top, which complimented her eyes nicely, before scuffing her well worn Converse against the floor, shrugging her shoulders as she set her body.

With a glance, she and Caden nodded slightly, and the boy waived back to Kyle, who nodded at the cue. A moment later Franz Ferdinand poured from the speakers; it was definitely much more of an alternative song, and their routine started rather awkward, both to match the beat and due to being out of their usual genre.

"Is this an interpretative dance?" Emma distantly heard, somewhere in the crowd. Caden and she were both moving out of sync, in a sporadic pattern, twisting their bodies as they moved their arms just as awkwardly in contrast. It was nearly a minute into the song, when the beat of the drum and strums of the guitar fell into a brief harmony, before they started to settle into a more cohesive movement.

The pair's motion had slowly turned them to face each other, and they fell into a smooth, but punctuated, dance together. Emma grinned as she let her instincts take over her body.

_'I say 'don't you know?'__  
__You say you don't know.__  
__I say... take me out.'_

People seemed to have come to an understanding of the routine, as the crowd had grown louder with cheers. Emma and Caden were close now, complimenting each other's body movement, but broke apart shortly when he spun her away from his body.

Both dancers moved gracefully, following the practiced steps as they leaned and twisted their bodies. In the end it was neither a particularly hard, nor flashy, dance, but it was creative and still took a degree of skill to execute.

As the song ended, their movements slowed, before halting, in sync.

"Oh yeah, that's what we're talking about, right? Now, anybody want in? You don't need a routine or even a partner, just pick a song and strut your stuff."

Caden moved back to his work station, pushing Kyle out of the way with a grin.

"Yeah, and if we keep this going long enough, we might share another dance with you. What do you all say to that?"

The crowd clearly agreed.

"You looked good out there."

Emma spun to the voice, grinning at Letty.

"I forgot what it was like to perform in front of people."

"Coulda fooled me."

Emma rolled her eyes, but nudged her shoulder playfully. Letty returned the gesture, which lead to a light, brief wrestling match before the pair laughed and settled down. They watched as several more people, some couples and some not, step onto the cleared part of the floor.

"Hey, I'm gonna go grab something from the bar, want anything?"

Letty shook her head, grabbing and holding up her half-full drink, and Emma made her way through the packed crowd before sliding her way across the bar.

"Liss, I just need something. Anything," she said finally, and Melissa had two shots right in front of her in hardly a second. Emma grimaced after the first, taking a moment to adjust to the Tequila. The second was much easier, now that she knew what she was drinking.

"Thanks. Now we can finally breathe a bit," the older woman said, nodding to the dance floor.

Emma grinned.

"No prob. It was fun."

"I didn't know you could dance like that," Aimee admitted from her other side, as she leaned against the counter next to Emma and looked on as well.

"I've been taking dance lessons since I was little."

The black girl's mouth formed and 'O' before she shrugged.

"Huh... learn something new every day."

"Indeed. I want more alcohol."

A long while later the challenges had stopped but people had stayed on the dance floor. As a result, the lounge much emptier than it had been at the start of the night.

Eventually Emma somehow found her way into a crazed, disjointed dance next Letty, as the Latino woman looked on with slight embarrassment and much amusement. Letty eventually lost her internal struggle and burst into laughter at Emma's manic movement.

"You look like an idiot."

"Well this is the only way you can dance to Call On Me! Seriously!" the younger girl defended herself over the start of the loud techno beat. The alcohol only helped along her usual care-free attitude.

Though it was, indeed, a funny sight, Letty found herself agreeing with the statement. She finished up her drink and, after much coaxing from Emma, and some influence of the beer, she joined the brunette for the rest of the song.

When it ended both were in hysterics, and Emma felt like she was flying, light headed from a combination of drink and activity.

"You need to take a seat," Letty said, as they escaped to the lounge.

"I need more alcohol."

Letty shrugged, but pulled Emma away from the bar, making her pout.

"Seriously, you need a break. Just a couple minutes," she bartered.

Emma let out a long breath, but nodded as she looked around the room in a bored manner.

"Have you ever seen the music video for that song?" she burst out suddenly. "You know... the one just playing, by Eric Prydz?"

Letty gave her a look as if to ask 'do you seriously think I watch music videos?'

Which was a good point.

"Well, it is the hottest thing ever. Seriously, YouTube that shit."

"I'm not much of a computer person," Letty countered.

Maybe one day if she was bored enough and remembered.

"Hey," Kyle broke into their conversation. Emma turned toward her roommate.

"Wassup?"

"Jen needs a ride home," he explained, motioning to Emma's coworker. The two had been dating for several weeks.

Emma's shoulders dropped. She had been enjoying the night, for the most part.

"Hey, you can catch a ride with me," Letty offered, reading her expression easily. Emma's grin came back.

"For real?"

"Yeah, it's hardly out of the way."

"I think I'll take you up on that offer."

"So you set, then?"

"Yeah dude. See you later."

Kyle nodded, and Jenny gave a small wave before following him out.

"Are they-"

"Yep, for a while now."

Letty nodded. Though she did not know the blonde very well beyond what she had heard from Emma, Kyle and she seemed to make a good pair.

"You're not driving are you?"

Letty grinned.

"Nah, I'll call up Mia. She didn't go to the race tonight, had some paperwork to do, so she's sober."

Emma nodded.

"Good to hear."

By the time they ended up leaving, Emma had drank much more, and was beyond wasted. Letty was helping her down the street to where Mia was parked, stumbling occasionally herself.

"You know how some people just get on your nerves," the younger girl slurred heavily. "And you can't really stop them. It's just how they are, you don't even know them but you really just hate them. And you can't help it."

Letty was nodding, though she did not quite follow Emma's point.

"But it's not biased or nothing. It's legit, and you know... it's real. You don't like someone, but there's a reason behind it. But you don't know the reason, just that there is one. Somewhere."

"What happened to her?"

Letty shrugged at Mia's question as she helped Emma into the car.

"I have no idea. She just went at it."

"Okay, we've seen her pretty drunk before, but never this bad."

Letty just shook her head.

"She must really hate Ant."

Mia rolled her eyes at the mention of the new kid, but did not comment. She had met him twice before, and he seemed alright, if a bit cocky.

"Odd."

"Tell me about it."

* * *

I apologize about any mistakes; I'm on my sister's computer because mine is at my step-mom's house, about 20 minutes away. It's not far, but I'm not gonna go over to use it just to write. Anyhow, my computer tells me when I make a spelling error or something, and my sister's doesn't, so that's all.


	11. Chapter 9

So, I've realized that, no matter how much I feel like writing, I only end up doing so if I have something to put off. During school, I spend my time avoiding homework, ergo, I write. During the summer... I think of ideas the whole time while I'm at work (slacking), and then when I get home I end up NOT writing, because I have nothing that I want to put off. I'm allowed to be lazy, so that's what I do.

And upon realizing this the other day (and here we see that I've actually procrastinated on WRITING for the simple reason of... nothing) I've decided that I will work harder to fix the problem. Sorry for the wait.

* * *

Emma woke slowly the next morning, tangled tightly in the blankets of her bed. Tye was passed out half on her stomach, and she looked around in confusion.

_How did I get here? Last I remember was Kyle and Jenny leaving the club._

It had been a long time since she drank enough to black out.

"Hopefully I didn't do anything stupid," she grumbled thickly, wiping a hand over her eyes. A half empty glass of water was on her bedside table, and she fished blindly through the small drawer of it, finding the bottle of aspirin she knew was there. She downed three, spilling some of the water onto her shirt as she took a sip.

With a loud sigh she put the cup back on the table and fell to her pillow, waiting until the pain killers too effect.

"Yeah, I'd feel like shit too if I drank as much as you did."

Emma weakly threw a pillow towards Kyle's voice.

Pathetically it fell several feet short and nearly two feet wide.

"Hey, I helped carry your sorry ass down here," he informed her as he crossed the room, taking a seat at her normally abandoned desk chair. "A little more respect isn't out of line."

"I'm sorry," she lied, throat tight. "Your voice is just so irritating right now."

"Fine, I'll take your water back."

A groan was all she could do to object, though Kyle had not moved.

"Letty said she'd be over around one, to check up on you," he then tried. "Take you out for a bit of fresh air, see if you can recover."

Emma struggled to raise her head, squinting at the green glow of the alarm clock.

12:38

With a grunt she rolled over, pushing her body off her bed. She sat up slowly, legs folded to her chest. Her eyes watered as she blinked rapidly around the room.

She rubbed her eyes violently before opening them again.

"Fuck it," she muttered, stumbling to her feet and into the bathroom. Bracing herself against the sink, she searched the small cabinet behind the mirror, finding both her contacts case and her glasses. With practiced ease, even only half coherent, she took both lenses out (they were extended wear) before rubbing her eyes again.

"I'll let you get ready," Kyle offered, and she heard him disappear up the stairs. With a sigh Emma started the shower, planning on a quick one before she stepped under the warm spray. She spent nearly ten minutes simply standing there before she hurriedly cleaned up and got out, going to her room and donning a pair of light blue jeans and a white Cami. She returned to the bathroom to brush out her hair, letting it air dry, and grab her glasses. The frames were rectangular and thick, the maroon tint seemed to bring out the color of her eyes; the lenses were just as thick, correcting the astigmatism that plagued her.

Slowly she thumped her way up the stairs.

"She lives," Letty's raspy voice teased when she made it to the kitchen. Emma fell into a chair, leaning against the table as though it was the only thing holding her up.

In all respects, it probably was.

"And she's blind," Kyle added.

Emma did not have the energy to even scoff.

"Brought you a present," Letty slid the cold can of iced tea across the table.

Arizona. Her favorite.

"Thank you," Emma managed, with a surprisingly large amount of sincerity.

At this point she would be grateful for almost anything.

"Well, I'm off to work, so be good for the babysitter," Kyle gave her a pointed look, enjoying his stabs at her while he could still get away with it.

Emma simply grunted, watching him leave.

"Jerk."

Letty's laughter drew her attention.

"We can go visit him," the Latino suggested. "Keep him company while he waits on us."

There was a slight glint akin to cruelty in her eyes.

For the first time all morning, Emma slowly grinned.

"I love the way you think."

A half hour later found them sitting at a small booth in the downtown restaurant.

"What can I get..." Kyle started as he came over. Realizing just who was at the table, he hesitated. "Oh it's you two," he continued, voice dropping. "What do you want?"

Emma shot him a bright smile.

"Well, my good man, I seem to be having a problem with this menu."

Emma saw the blonde's jaw work, before he nodded.

"That's because you're reading the adults section."

Emma's eyes narrowed.

_Kyle 1, Emma 0._

"I don't like your tone. Is your manager around?"

Kyle rolled his eyes.

"Well not that I would tell you if he was, but no."

"Maybe you should write up a complaint," Letty suggested. Emma nodded.

"I might just do that."

"What can I get you wonderful," the blonde's voice was forcefully cheerful at this. "Oh so wonderful, ladies to drink? We have water, sweetened and unsweetened iced teas, warm tea, coffee, milk, chocolate milk, and all Coke products."

"Water."

"Root beer."

Kyle did not even bother to write down the orders, but simply rolled his eyes as he turned to walk away.

"He is a very rude man."

Kyle shook his head at Emma's comment, but returned with their drinks moments later.

"Now, should I get a translator for you," he asked Emma.

Letty ducked her head, to hide her smirk, but watched the interaction with amusement in her dark eyes.

_Kyle 2, Emma 0._

"You have one on hand? That would be great, because whoever wrote up these menus made a lot of typos and grammatical errors, it's simply impossible to decipher anything."

A lie, but Kyle ran his tongue over his teeth as he allowed his shoulders to drop just slightly.

"That would be me."

"That would explain it, wouldn't you say?"

Letty could not help but to go along with the brunette.

_Kyle 2, Emma 1._

"Your orders?"

"Anything meat," Letty said.

"Anything fried," Emma added.

The pair looked at each other with a grin before Emma continued.

"You know the menu well enough. Pick something good for the both of us," she ordered, shooing him away with a flapping motion of her hand.

Snatching up both menus, Kyle returned to the kitchen, placing two orders.

"I do think our mission is successful so far."

"I would have to agree."

* * *

Letty studied Emma as they left the restaurant towards her Nissan. Her friend seemed to have pulled a 180 since that morning; smiling and more relaxed.

"Feeling better?"

Emma nodded.

"So much."

"What do you want to do next?"

Emma shook her head, sliding into the passenger seat.

"Something that doesn't require too much energy."

"Movies?"

"What's playing?"

Letty shrugged.

"Let's go check."

So they did. Once at the cinema, the pair studied the listing of movies.

"Saw?"

Letty nodded.

"Seen the first one, might as well continue."

Emma nodded.

"Saw it is."

They bought their tickets and made their way to the theater to wait and guess at the trivia questions. The film was not set to start for another fifteen minutes.

"This stuff is fricken brilliant," Emma breathed to herself later, once the movie was well underway. Though she was not spoken to directly, Letty could only agree. The tests the poor people had to go through were pretty intricately thought out.

In a decidedly dark and twisted way.

"You just can't beat that shit, you know?" Emma asked as the two walked out of the theater.

Letty smirked, shaking her head.

_Good old Emma,_ the Latino thought, releasing a small sigh. She unlocked her car, and both girls clambered in.

"Now what?" she asked, starting the engine. Emma was silent as she mulled over the question.

"I think I want to play a video game."

Rolling her eyes, Letty started towards the Toretto house.

* * *

There was a distant pounding on the door.

Letty rolled over, sitting up with a mask of confusion on her face. She crawled off of her bed, stumbling through the hall and down the stairs. Undoubtedly Mia had already left for the store, and the boys for the garage. Why they had not woken her was puzzling, but she did not think on it too long.

Reaching the front door she turned the knob, pulling it open before blinking in confusion.

"Mia Toretto?"

Letty looked between the two men and the black, unmarked car.

"No."

"Leticia Ortiz?"

Letty nodded this time, affirming their question.

"Is everything okay? Who got hurt?"

Panic was slowly setting in.

_What if there was an accident at the garage? _she worried.

"No accidents ma'am, don't worry about that. Officer Davis and I would like to ask you a few questions, if we may."

The worry faded, but the panic remained. They were dressed in a business casual manner, most likely detectives, Letty guessed.

"Look, I didn't do it."

"It?"

"Whatever you're here for. It wasn't me."

"No one is accusing you of anything. We'd just like a friendly talk."

Letty managed to not snort at their promise. It was not convincing, but she figured she would probably have more luck if she did not try to argue. She stepped out onto the porch, shutting the door behind her.

"So, let's talk," she said, voice more confident than she felt.

"So, what were you up to last night?"

"Nothing. I was here. All of my house mates were. Together."

"Uh-huh. Right."

Letty scowled at the doubtful tone in his voice.

"Look, can you just get to it? I have some stuff I need to do."

_Continue sleeping_, she added silently with irritation, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh, stuff, huh? What kind of stuff?"

"Yeah, I have this thing, you may have heard of it. Most people call it a _job_," the Latino woman explained, as though describing a foreign concept to the two officers.

"Jobs, yeah. There are a lot of different types of jobs, aren't there?" the one introduced as Officer Davis asked his partner.

"What kind of job?"

"Are you kidding me? Like you don't already know from your fancy files that I work in a garage. I'm a mechanic."

"Uh-huh," the first officer nodded, clearly uninterested.

"Can any one else vouch that you and your house mates were here last night?"

"Yeah. A couple of friends."

"Good friends? Known them a while?"

"Good friends, and not too long. They moved here from Mass a few months ago."

Davis hummed, as though put off by her answer.

"So do you boys mind telling me what this is all about?"

"We have on record that you and several of your house-mates were possible links to multiple truck hi-jackings a few years back."

Letty's blood ran cold.

"None of us were ever brought to trial," she quickly defended herself and the boys.

Dom was all on his own.

"So the files say. The case was dropped after the lead suspect, Mr. Dominic Toretto, evaded law enforcement and eventually disappeared, correct?"

Hesitantly, Letty confirmed their statement with a nod.

"Yeah. Dom's gone. Haven't seen him in years."

"Indeed."

Letty narrowed her eyes at their tones, suggesting doubt.

"You still haven't told me what this is about," she pointed out.

"This morning, at approximately 0216 hours a trucker called in to report an incident. An incident that seems to be very similar to the incidents that happened all those years ago. Involving Mr. Toretto and a group of cohorts."

"Someone jacked a truck?" Letty asked after a moment, having let the statement settle in. "And you think it was us?"

"I don't recall saying that."

"It simply makes sense that, with such similar cases, we start where the previous one ended."

Letty shook her head.

"Well boys, you're just gonna find sand here. No gold."

The officers shared a look, before turning to the offended woman.

"Well, if you do hear anything, give us a heads up, will you?"

_Fat chance in hell,_ she thought vindictively. She settled on raising an eyebrow at the pair, her posture alone dismissed them.

"Have a good one."

"I doubt it, but thanks," she said, not even trying to fake politeness. She watched them get back into their car and drive off, before she let herself in the house, all but slamming the door behind her before she leaned against it, squeezing her eyes shut. The team _had _been at the house all night, Kyle and Emma did not even leave until nearly three in the morning, which was well past the reported time frame.

But the law officers did not believe it, that much was clear.

_Oh fuck._

* * *

Ohh, betcha you didn't see that one coming, eh? And I know this is actually... a pretty short chapter for me, but it is mostly just a filler one. And to get stuff OFFICIALLY kicked off, as I really was struggling to think of a decent plot line to make this more than just... a boring story about several people. I promise the next one will pick back up again as the drama ensues! Oh la la. Très amusant, n'est pas? Oui... c'est vrai.

Sorry, summer tends to make me have conversations with myself. Ignore the babble. Hope you enjoyed! I will work harder on the next chapter!


	12. Chapter 10

See? See, I told you I'd work on it! Bravo me. Let's see if I can't keep up this pace. Or... a quicker pace than the previous two.

* * *

"Are you okay? You seem to be out of it lately."

Letty looked up, freezing for a second as she stared into Emma's blue eyes. Blinking out of her momentary distraction, she sighed as the question processed in her mind.

"We need to talk."

Emma paused. With well worn, dirt and oil coated jeans and an equally dirty tank top, the younger girl shifted, still in her crouching position. The wrench she was using to work on the modification of her ATV's handlebars was forgotten as she turned to face her friend.

"Yeah, what's up?" she asked, hiding the nerves that were creeping through her system.

Any conversation that started with those words never ended well.

_Oh please,_ her mind rationed. _It's not like we're breaking up._

The thought amused her as much as it did rained on her mood. To break up meant they would have to be dating.

"You remember about Dom?"

Emma paused, raking her brain for the name.

"Mia's brother right? He bailed on you all a while back because of trouble."

Letty nodded.

"Well, the reason he was in trouble with the law," Letty hesitated. "He had this scheme. Hi-jack trucks of electronics and shit. Sell them and keep the profits."

Emma rose, taking a seat on the four wheeler, across from the Latino woman.

Letty was resting easily on the counter.

"We actually did it, too. For a few months. He was the one that got slipped up, let this undercover cop get close. Let him in. So when the shit hit the fan, all the blame went on Dom. None of the rest of us were charged, but still... he had accomplices, and we were associated, you know? They didn't have any actual evidence, but that doesn't mean jack."

Emma studied the smaller woman, not saying a word. Her eyes were calculating.

"But that's why he fled the country. Two mornings ago a cop was at our place. A truck was jacked the night before. So now the fuzz is snooping around again."

Emma could not contain the chuckle at the term, but Letty did not seem to notice.

"Okay."

"Just okay?"

Emma shrugged.

"Well, what do you want me to say?"

"Something is going on. And we're gonna be dragged into the middle of it, even if we don't have anything to do with it. We were direct associates with the earlier cases, so now they suspect us. Well, not Mia, but the rest of us."

"But it wasn't you."

"How could you think that?"

"No, that's not what I meant. Kyle and I were at your place the whole night before. No one left. We _know_ it wasn't you."

"Well the detectives aren't totally buying it."

Emma shook her head.

"So what now?"

"I really don't know," Letty confessed. She was annoyed, confused, and scared out of her mind all at the once; but she would never admit it out loud.

"Just, don't worry about it, then."

"It's not that easy," she retorted, hardly shy of snapping.

"Sure it is. Keep working, surround yourself with people every night, and don't give them a reason to come for you," Emma said, as though it were the most simple thing in the world.

"But they're still gonna be around!"

"Yeah, but if you always have a legit alibi and stuff then they can't peg you with anything. Just have an outside party that can vouch where you are every night."

"Still... it's not... you don't get it."

"Probably not," Emma agreed. "You give me a better solution then."

Letty drew a blank. After a moment Emma nodded.

"Exactly. Look, I've never been very religious or too into some all-powerful deity or anything, but whatever is supposed to happen, will happen. It's called fate. Some things you can't avoid," Emma said, plainly. "You can't control everything, so don't bother trying. It's not gonna work. You just have to make the best with what you _can _control; and right now, that's staying clean and keeping Jesse and the boys clean as well."

Silence hung between the two. After several minutes, Letty looked up, studying her friend in a different sort of light.

"Yeah, I can be deep."

Emma's joke did not draw even a smile from the other woman. The younger girl shifted at the dark, unfaltering gaze.

"Seriously, why do you think I'm so laid-back? I worry about what I can change, and try not to dwell on what I can't. It makes life a hell of a lot less stressful."

More silence, and Emma continued to shift, nerves catching up again.

"Wha-"

"Just when I think I have you figured out," Letty cut her off.

"You didn't honestly think that I don't care about anything, do you?"

Her attitude usually suggested that she did not. Letty did not respond.

"Wow, you really did?" the lighter brunette asked quietly. Letty looked away at the hurt look that crossed her friend's face, embarrassed. "I do. I care a lot, okay? But I know that I can only change so much. I mean, everything that everyone does affects other people. Including me, you, Mia, Kyle, and whoever else. We can't make _them _act a certain way, only us. Clearly, I mean, hello," Emma waived an arm at Letty, not even stopping her defensive rant. Though far from yelling, her voice had risen considerably since the start of it. "Someone hi-jacking a bus has got the feds up in your case."

Letty still could not reply.

"I 'don't worry' because I don't care," Emma tried to explain. "I 'don't worry' because I know that I'm doing all that I can in whatever the situation. There's a difference."

Emma's tone was dismissive, as her voice dropped again. Letty chanced a glance back to her friend, who was staring at her, jaw clenched and eyes hard.

The Latino woman was still speechless. After a moment she simply nodded, sliding off the counter as she walked out of the garage.

* * *

Kyle leaned against the door frame, watching with a confused interest as his roommate paced back and forth between the machine she was working on and the table of tools, muttering furiously to herself as she occasionally made an adjustment on the bike. Tye sat next to Kyle, watching his owner as well.

The blonde noticed, with idle interest, that she repeatedly picked up and put down the same tool over and over again, as though fighting between using it and not.

"Do I come off as heartless or something?" she was all but growling. "No, I don't. What have I done that suggest I'm heartless? Nothing. I'm not heartless. I care. I care about everything. I'm a very caring person. What the fuck does she know?"

Kyle's eyebrows rose as she continued her tirade, language getting increasingly more vulgar. He glanced at his watch, having just gotten back from his shift at the restaurant.

It was nearly 8:30, which meant Emma had barely over a half hour before work.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready?" he finally asked, after several moments of hesitation.

Emma's glare turned to him.

"What now?" she bit out.

"You need to get ready for work," Kyle pointed out. Emma gritted her teeth, tossing the screwdriver to the desk, ignoring as it bounced off the wall before falling into place.

"Fine, you want me gone, I'm gone."

"That's not what I said," he called, as she stormed past him into the house. He looked down to the shaggy dog that was still at his side.

"What is her problem?" he asked, as though Tye could answer.

The dog did not.

Shaking his head, he crossed the garage, rearranging the tools before turning off the light and shutting the door, locking it behind him. He was about to open the back door when Emma stormed back out, shoving past him as she clambered into her Jeep and disappeared out of the driveway in almost no time flat.

"Seriously," he asked the dog again, holding the door open as Tye hopped into the house. "What is up with her tonight?"

There was still no answer.

* * *

"You. Me. Talk. _Now_."

Emma glanced at Melissa, who jerked her head away from the bar. Hesitating, she looked around, studying the room.

It was a slow point in the night, just past one, and Nari and Jenny were more than capable to fend for themselves for a few minutes. Reluctantly Emma followed the other woman away from the bar, and into the small, two stalled restroom. Melissa bolted the door shut behind them.

"What is your problem tonight?"

Emma did not meet the furious brown eyes.

"Just upset. Nothing major," she muttered. So this is what it felt like to be on the receiving end of the temperamental bartender's wrath.

"Nothing major? So far you have been less civil to customers than I am to people in _general._ That is not 'nothing major'."

Tiredly Emma simply ran a hand over her hair. It was pulled back and, although messy, it did not take away from her appearance at all.

It almost suited her.

"Okay," she conceded. "I had an argument with a friend, whatever."

"Yeah, well you better get over it. Now. Go back to flirting your ass off with anything that moves like you normally do," her rougher friend ordered. "Because you're scaring customers from the bar."

It was true, Emma's body language had been screaming 'back off' the entire night thus far.

"Look, you don't understand."

_Geez, I really hate being right sometimes,_ she thought, cursing those four little words that signified the start of a bad conversation.

"Yeah, and I also don't care," the older girl replied in kind. She studied the other girl's posture, which went from on edge, to annoyed, to defeated throughout the whole confrontation.

"Look, you're always saying it will be okay," Melissa continued, in a softer tone as she stepped closer. "So why don't you convince yourself for once? Give it a day or two, let it blow over, and it'll get better. Right? Isn't that how you optimistic people see things?"

Emma sighed, closing her eyes. The afternoon had been draining, and she wanted to be everywhere but on the clock.

_Well, almost everywhere_, she decided, thinking of Mia's house. Melissa's hands on her shoulders jolted her from her musings.

"It just sucks. I don't fight with people, I hate fighting with people."

"You don't say."

Emma grinned slightly at the sarcasm in Melissa's voice.

"Hey, look. I'm not feeling too good-"

The shorter girl cut her off.

"Well. Feeling well. And don't worry about it. I'll cover for you the rest of the night."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We might actually get customers that way."

Emma's grin was stronger, but still feeble.

"Thanks Liss."

"Just be here tomorrow night, okay? Get your flirt on, be YOU. You're not fun when you're miserable," she informed the younger woman.

Emma nodded.

"Yes ma'am."

Melissa nodded, stepping back again as she turned to unbolt the door. Emma's hug surprised her.

"Okay, okay, enough. You know I can't take this sentimental shit."

Emma chuckled weakly.

"Thank you. Really."

"Just don't be a bitch tomorrow, huh?"

Pulling away, Emma gave a mock salute.

They ignored the look that they gathered from the redhead who had been waiting outside the previously locked door. Quickly she bid a goodbye to Nari and Jenny, before leaving the club behind. The drive to her house was short, and instead of going to bed, she curled up on the couch, her macbook nestled safely in her lap as she turned the power on. Tye had climbed up as well, and was sprawled across the couch next to her as she started a conversation with a friend back in Mass.

Her typing was the only noise in the otherwise silent house.

* * *

Letty stared at the engine of the sedan she was working on, mind far away from her project as she reflected back on earlier that afternoon.

What did she think of Emma? She was not always sure. The Bostonian was everything that she appeared, and at the same time not. She shifted her body, gasping as the side of her hand caught on a loose piece of the engine.

"Mother fuc-" she cut herself off, hissing as the cut started to bleed. "Stupid, old, beat-up, rusted cars."

"Let, are you alright?"

"Fantastic," she answered darkly, pressing the closest clean fabric, which happened to be the bottom of her shirt, to the cut and holding it tightly. It soaked through in seconds.

"Damn, you got yourself good," Vince said, catching sight of her hand when he gave her a clean rag.

"You don't say."

"You're gonna need stitches, I think," Jesse added. "And a tetanus shot to be on the safe side."

"Great," Letty said, as the cut continued to bleed. Without another word she went to the office of the garage.

"Mia, we're going to the hospital," she informed her friend. Mia looked at her in confusion.

"We are? What for?"

Letty held up her hand.

"Oh my God, what happened?"

"Cars."

Mia ignored the sarcasm as she ushered the smaller girl out of the office, shutting the door behind her.

"We'll be back in a bit," Mia called back into the garage as they left, Mia sliding behind the drivers seat of Letty's Nissan.

"What's up with you today?"

Letty shook her head.

"Stuff was going good right? Now it's like we're being thrown back to just after he left," she answered after a minute.

"Come on Let. That's not the only thing bothering you."

Letty paused, adjusting the cloth when she felt the sticky dampness through the fabric.

"Emma's pissed at me," she said finally.

"She'll get over it, don't worry. You know how she is."

"Do I? Do I really?"

Mia looked sideways at her, before turning back to the road.

"I don't know what was said, but yeah. Look, she's the best friend you've had since Dom left. Hell, since _before_ Dom left."

"What about you?" Letty asked, interested in the answer.

"Come on Let. We're more like sisters than anything."

"So you can't be my friend?"

"You know what I mean."

Letty nodded slowly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do."

"Good."

"I really made her mad though."

"Then suck it up. Apologize. Beg. Whatever. You haven't gotten yourself injured working on a car in who _knows _how long."

Letty grinned slightly.

"According to the clock, nine minutes ago."

She received a slap on her arm for the comment.

"Hey, injury!"

Mia laughed. Of course it was her right hand that was cut, not the left.

"Honest. Sort out whatever the issue is, then go talk to her. Everything will be fine," Mia assured her.

Letty could not help but think back to Emma's logic at Mia's statement. They practically mirrored each other.

"Maybe."

"No, not maybe."

They were at the hospital at this point, sitting in the ER's waiting room.

"So... what happened exactly? You know, at Em's."

Letty shook her head.

"I'm not entirely sure. It happened really fast," she admitted.

"Well, like I said, figure it out."

It was nearly an hour later before Letty was seen to. Another twenty minutes and they were walking out of the hospital, Letty supporting eleven new stitches and a tightly bandaged hand.

* * *

I actually enjoyed writing this chapter. I guess I'm trying to go for a bit more character depth now... too much at once? Anyhow, I only checked it over a couple of times, so I apologize for any errors or whatnot.


	13. Chapter 11

Okay, so I had totally planned to get this out sooner, but I didn't actually stop to consider life. In the past two months (?! that long really?), I've helped my mom move, moved myself (I'm living off campus this year so I got my own place!) and have been job-searching (for a _second_ job); all the while sports have started up and I've been swamped with class work. Oh, and my computer was gone for three weeks. A tragic incident that involved sparks, smoke, and a whole lot of firecracker-esque sounds. And no, there was no water in that mix.

Anyhow, soooo pretty much I was SOL. I needed to find time to do my school work and write while I was at school... which was clearly not an easy task. But I just got my computer back! Finally!

Gotta love college.

And on that note, it's also MY BIRTHDAY TODAY! Soooo, this is my gift to y'all... which is sorta reverse of what's normal. But I'm in a super good mood, because in the last few days I have: gotten two papers back (A- and B+), finished my midterms, won conference for tennis, made the team for hockey, and duh... I'm now 21. This year is starting to look up. :D

* * *

"It's not Dom."

Letty's head jerked around and she met Leon's gaze.

"What?"

"He just called. Stupid, seeing as he hardly calls because they can be traced, but the ID showed an international number."

Letty paused at the statement. Leon continued.

"Dom is in Brazil. He has nothing to do with these hi-jacks."

Letty sat down hard on the bench that was against the wall behind her, slumping her shoulders as she leaned forward, elbows on her knees.

"But then who-"

Leon shrugged.

"No idea."

Neither continued the conversation. Letty's thoughtful gaze went from the oil spot on the floor to her still bandaged hand; becoming blank as her mind wandered.

It had been three long days since the blowout with Emma, and Letty still had not gathered up the nerve to approach the younger girl, regretting her stupidity over the disagreement in the first place. Though she did not blame the younger girl, she was also nervous at the lack of contact.

_Maybe she's still really mad._

"You racing tonight?"

Letty rolled her eyes, holding up her bandaged hand.

"Oh, right. Stitches."

She could shift just fine, but constantly for several minutes straight, she knew it would possibly reopen the gash. After another moment, Letty looked up, finding the marked up calender on the far wall. Friday. Emma would be there.

"I'm definitely going though," she assured him.

A nice, neutral place to talk, with a lot of witnesses.

Maybe she would get out of it unscathed this time.

* * *

Emma looked over the dirt bike again, rechecking the modifications she had spent the last several days making.

"Looking good baby," she patted the seat.

"So when we going to test it?"

Emma grinned.

"I was thinking this weekend. I mean, we still have a couple months, but she's gonna blow all competition out of the water."

Kyle grinned at his roommate's enthusiasm.

"Hey, you racing tonight?"

Emma nodded.

"Absolutely. I'm pumped."

Kyle laughed.

"I'm gonna go, too. You know, hang out, watch a bit."

He did such every so often.

"Cool."

A brief silence fell in the garage.

"So what's up with Letty?"

Emma did not answer, but after a moment graced her friend with a shrug.

She really was not sure. Once her anger had faded, Melissa did a good job to diffuse much of it, the older woman's absence was starting to worry her.

"No idea," she said honestly.

Wisely, Kyle did not push the topic.

"Okay, well what time do you want to be on the road tomorrow then?"

Emma looked up from the bike, with a hint of a grin.

"Not too early. But otherwise I don't care."

"Large window of opportunity."

"I do want to put in a good bit of time though."

"Noon?"

Emma thought on it for a second, before nodding.

"That works."

"We should start getting ready huh?"

Emma rolled her eyes. There was nearly an hour before they were meeting for the races.

"Go for it. I'll meet you there."

"Em," he started warningly.

"Ky," she started back, in a mocking sort of way.

He threw up his hands, letting out a long breath.

"How do I live with you?"

"With lots of therapy and medication."

Opting not to reply, Kyle walked out of the garage as he shook his head.

* * *

Exactly one hour later and Emma was leaning against her bike, with her arms crossed casually as she watched the first race start off. Kyle was lounging in his truck, chatting with Jenny; the blonde was off for the night, and had decided to accompany her boyfriend.

The part of town they were in was more rundown, trash and the occasional scraps of old cars littered at random down the road behind them. Easily avoidable, just another obstacle.

"Hey."

Emma blinked, turning towards Letty, surprised at her appearance.

"Hey."

Letty shifted, nodding slightly.

"What's up?"

"You tell me," she replied evenly. Though over the fight, she was not sure if she wanted to let the Latino woman off that easily.

Letty nodded again, more sure this time.

"How was your week?"

"Different. But okay."

"You racing?"

"In the third run."

Letty glanced around, looking for something to grasp to. Finding nothing, she sighed.

"I'm... sorry."

Emma's gaze was not judgmental, but interested. She seemed to deflate, if only slightly.

"Look, it's okay-"

"No. It isn't. I... I know you," she fought through her mind, trying to explain. "I guess I just never actually stopped to put it in words, or something, but you're not like that. And I know that. And I'm sorry I let you think something else."

Emma did not respond, and Letty was studying the Yamaha sticker on her bike, keeping her gaze averted. A thump on her shoulder caused her to look up.

"_Really_, unnecessary, but thanks."

Letty grinned, just slightly.

"We cool?"

Emma returned the grin, though much brighter than Letty's cautious one.

"We're cool."

"So who you up against?"

Emma chuckled at the easily falling back into themselves, like nothing had happened.

"Ashmore, Todd, Jason and Anthony."

"No way, Jase _and _Ant? Ash and Todd are easy enough, but those two are gonna be intense."

"I'm making good money, though."

Letty smirked at her friend's confidence.

"_If _you win, yeah. It'll be a nice payout."

"If! If? Is there no trust left in this world?"

"You want an honest answer?"

Emma pretended to consider the question.

"Nah, I'm good with my imagination."

"Yeah, don't I know."

The statement was posed not as a question, but simply a thought.

"How's your bike?" Letty asked, remembering the modifications Emma was working on in the garage during their confrontation.

Emma grinned.

"All jazzed up, ready to roll. Kyle and I are testing it tomorrow, wanna come?"

Letty nodded.

"Yeah, I mean, if you're cool with it. I'm always down for riding."

"Hey, I meant it. We're cool now. If you wanna come then... you're welcome any time."

Letty chuckled, more at herself than to herself.

"Okay. I'm there."

"Good," the lighter brunette replied simply. She was smiling, content.

"Who you think will win now?"

Emma looked at the group of racers, scoffing slightly.

"Nita, easily. She owns these runs."

Letty did not argue, but she did not agree with the statement out loud; the Italian girl was a very good racer.

* * *

Lining up next to the four other cars, Emma revved her bike slightly, holding the clutch. She glanced both ways, sizing up her competitors.

"You got it," he muttered to herself, grinning slightly. After clearing things with Letty, she was feeling better than she had all week. "Come on, anyone can beat Ash and Todd, even this newbie. Ain't got nothing on me."

She snorted slightly at her monologue pep-talk.

"Your losing it Em."

Her attention was drawn to the girl, who was getting ready to wave the race started. Unlike the other races, this one (true to Emma's usual choices) ended at the same spot, after nearly 50 blocks of a maze that drew them back to it.

The four-grand buy-in was not for show, it would be a long race, and the adrenaline was already pumping through her veins. Her grip tightened as she studied the girl's movement. As her arms dropped, Emma kicked the bike into gear and succeeded in being the first to take off, clearing several meters before the cars passed over the painted starting/finish line.

Shifting up, she gunned the bike, not blinking as she quickly accelerated. The light at the first intersection turned green as she came up to it, and she slid easily between two cars as she blew right through it, before taking two rights at the next two intersections. Three blocks later, and another left, and she still held the lead, though not by much. Ant was almost literally on her tail, followed closely by Jason and then Todd. Ash was somewhere in the mix, she was not too sure.

At this point the route was straight, bringing them more into a more suburb setting.

It was late enough that children were in for the night. Emma cut a curve in the road closely, and she heard Ant drive slightly on the sidewalk to keep up. He slammed into a trash can, projecting the metal contraption ahead of him. Emma swerved to avoid it, managing to catch herself before she could spill. However, she had lost enough speed that Ant blew by, and if she was not so concentrated, she would have cussed him out.

She was loud enough to be heard, she was almost certain. The rude hand gesture she received from the other racer told her that the trash can almost hitting her was an intentional move.

"Ohhh, I so totally hate him," she growled vindictively to herself. "I am winning this, even if it kills me."

They were back on the busy streets, where Emma's almost professional maneuvering helped her excel. On clear roads, she was beat, but mixing in traffic played to her advantage.

As if to demonstrate a point, she caught up to Ant easily, even getting close enough to rap on his window, before avoiding contact as he veered to the left.

"ASS!"

_He's trying to make me wipe-out on purpose! _The realization hit her like being slapped.

Putting a Suburban a lane between them, Emma glanced over her shoulder. Jason was not out of the race yet, though he was several car lengths behind the pair.

"He totally had to see all of that," she muttered, turning her attention back to the road. Cutting into the oncoming traffic, she smartly moved in and out of cars, taking the left turn closely. Several blocks, three rights, and many more dirty attempts to get her to crash (one involving forcing Emma to avoid a stop sign, and another a handful of pedestrians waiting for a walk signal, to name only a few), and the racers were back on the emptier roads.

Emma opened throttle; there was still enough traffic for her to have a slight edge, and she gained as much momentum as she could, putting several car lengths between herself and Ant.

"Good job, babe, we're doing great," she cooed the Yamaha.

Indeed, the race had not been gentle on the road bike, but she was still fighting with all she had. The drivers followed a curve back to the city. The clutter of fellow racers showed them that there was very little left in the race.

What sounded like a small cannon went off behind her, and Ant was caught up as the two nearly flew back under the intermittent city lights, Jason merely car-lengths behind them.

Foreseeing the move, but not fast enough, Emma jolted her bike to the left as Ant veered sideways again, attempting to bump the bike. They both lost momentum, but Ant recovered quicker, and pulled ahead by a meter. Emma pulled up along side Ant again, and caught his eye briefly through her tinted visor.

He was smirking.

_What's he up to?_

She blinked turning back to the road, to realize that he had almost completely forced her to the sidewalk. After a moment he eased off, and she cut back in with the little space he gave her.

As the pair entered the final dark gap between lights, Ant flung his door open, before the force of the car's momentum blew it shut again, a blatant attempt for sabotage as they were just a handful meters from the finish line.

It was successful. As Emma jerked the bike away from the car, her front wheel twisted and caught a pothole she had previously been trying to avoid. With something akin to a miniature explosion, the tire fell in shreds, causing the bike to tilt at the sudden lack of support.

With the front end immediately falling forward, it caught the other edge of the pothole, and both the bike and rider were simultaneously thrown into the air, flipping as Emma was flung away from the metal machine.

_Oh damn_, she thought, as the ground rushed to her quickly. The pounding of blood blocked any and all sounds of the spectators from her ears, and the stress of knowing what was about to happen made her black out before she even hit the cement.

* * *

HAH! Okay, I know... that is awful mean of me, not updating in so long and then! And then leaving it with more shock and crazy-ness! Ohhh, what's gonna happen?

Well I know, okay? And I will be working diligently on it...  
After this week. Hopefully then it calms down a bit, _for_ a bit. -sigh- Anyhow, as usual... spot any mistakes, just point them out and I'll go through and fix them. And I'm sorry. I really had only planned this last part of the chapter, and I struggled a lot with the first part. I don't like the first part too much, actually, but it's bareable. Maybe I'll change it one day, but for now... don't wanna keep you waiting.


	14. Chapter 12

The scene was in complete silence after the wreck, but it was broken very quickly.

"WE GOT COPS!"

The voice rang over the quiet, and chaos broke loose. Surprisingly, it was Jenny who was the first to reach the fallen racer, as Kyle reacted just as quick. He jumped into his truck, starting it and swiftly backing over to the scene, using the Chevy as a barricade of protection against both cars and people alike. The Yamaha lay in a mangled heap of metal further down the road, and the flashing blues helped clear the traffic. Kyle jumped right out of his truck again, over at his friends side in a second.

"What do we do?" Jenny asked. Kyle shook his head.

"I don't think we're supposed to move her," he said. "In case her spine is damaged or something."

With the exception of the slightest rise and fall of her torso, Emma was unmoving, half on her face, half on her side. The eye shield of her helmet was shattered, as her head had taken much of the impact.

Flashing lights pulled up next to the pair, and Kyle looked between the car and the accident scene.

_This is bad_, he decided, finally.

The cop hurried out of his car, calling for help over the radio as he reached the three, assessing the damage.

"What happened?" he asked.

Kyle and Jenny looked at each other, both wondering whether to lie or not.

"Her front tire blew," Kyle said after a brief moment of hesitation. Jenny nodded.

"She was propelled into the air, it looked like the bike may have hit her while they were both airborne, but it happened so fast."

Sirens were quickly approaching, the street was nearly deserted.

"Was there alcohol involved?"

Kyle shook his head.

"No. Not that we're aware of," he answered. "I'm her roommate," he continued, as a second-thought.

The officer turned to the blonde, who returned his gaze in momentary confusion. It quickly dawned on her, and she added to Kyle's statement.

"I'm his girlfriend, but I also work with her. We're both bartenders, we've taken numerous alcohol safety courses. Em knows more than anything not to drive if she's been drinking."

The cop had taken out a pad of paper and was writing down the statements. He waived them away as the ambulance pulled up to the scene. As quickly as they arrived, two EMTs rushed over to the fallen racer.

"Was she racing?" the officer asked, not beating around the bush. The couple looked at each other.

Kyle gave in first.

"Yes," he admitted reluctantly, knowing the possible severity of punishment that would follow.

"Who runs it?"

Kyle blinked.

"Sorry?"

"The races. Who hosts them?"

Kyle shook his head.

"I honestly don't know. That truck's all I have, can't exactly race it."

He did not mean that he could not risk its good condition, just simply stating the truth. Seated high of the ground, with all-terrain tires, the Chevy was much too big to maneuver like the smaller, more speed-friendly sports cars.

The officer looked at him, doubtful.

"Honestly sir, I only came to look after Em."

Kyle looked over his shoulder, as the medics moved Emma to the stretcher, before wheeling her to the ambulance. They had left the helmet on the road - it had been removed with great care.

"Not exactly successfully," Jenny added in an undertone.

Kyle shook his head, turning back to the officer.

"I know as much as you do: there was a race here, you showed up, people scattered."

"And did you know anyone else?"

Kyle did not hesitate.

"No one that was racing sir," he said evenly, not breaking his gaze. It was mostly true, as he was not even acquaintances with most of the other racers aside from Letty, Vince, Jesse, and Leon.

Kyle nudged Jenny, nodding towards the ambulance. The blonde got the message and hurried over to the EMT, who was ready to climb into the truck.

"I'll be needing your contact information."

Kyle obliged. Thanking him, the officer followed the ambulance away from the scene, undoubtedly going to wait for the biker to wake up.

"They wouldn't tell me anything of her condition. Just that she'll be at the hospital."

Kyle cursed quietly.

"She doesn't have medical insurance," he hissed, more to himself.

Jenny shifted, and Kyle looked around at the damage.

"She'll probably want this stuff," he said finally, nodding to the mess of bike debris. The road cleaners would be by shortly to take care of the mess left over.

"Em's weird like that," Jenny agreed.

Working together the two got most of the bike into the back of the pick-up, and the ruined helmet, leaving smaller pieces for the workers. Climbing into the Chevy, Kyle rested his head on the steering wheel, comforted only slightly by Jenny running a hand up and down his back.

"What the fuck are we gonna do now?"

Jenny did not have an answer.

"Look at it this way... at least she won," the blonde tried to cheer him up.

Though airborne, both bike and racer had come to a stop nearly ten feet pass the finish line. They had crossed only several seconds before Ant blew through.

With a bitter, mirthless laugh, Kyle agreed, starting the truck. Shaken, the pair drove off to the hospital.

* * *

"Hi," Kyle nodded to the nurse at the ER desk. "I'm looking for Emmaline Morgan. She was brought in a little bit ago, automotive accident."

The nurse promptly entered the data into the computer.

"Ah, yes, the biker. She's just out of surgery. Are you family?"

Kyle looked to his girlfriend before turning back.

"I'm her brother. Her power of attorney, too, everything can go through me."

The nurse added the information to the electronic file.

"A doctor will be out shortly," she waived them to the waiting room. The pair obeyed the unspoken command, and Kyle started pacing the small room, hands jammed in his pockets as Jenny sat on the arm of the couch, retaining her calm posture for the both of them.

"What's taking so long?"

The blonde checked her watch. Only a minute had passed.

"Kyle... you're doing it again."

"Doing what? What's 'it'?"

"You're-"

"Family of Miss Morgan?"

Not paying attention to Jenny being interrupted, Kyle spun on his heals, coming face to face with the doctor. He was an older man, perhaps his early fifties, but his brown eyes were alert and filled with intelligence.

"I'm Dr. Morris."

Kyle skipped his introduction and got right to the point.

"How is she?"

"Her body took a good beating, but she'll be okay."

Kyle stared, not satisfied with the answer. The doctor went on to elaborate.

"She is mildly concussed, but at this point it's mostly from the stress of the accident that's keeping her under. She should be up by tomorrow."

"Is that all?"

Dr. Morris shook his head. "Like I said, she took quite the beating. I'm assuming she landed predominantly on her right side?"

Kyle nodded, affirming the question.

"Her injuries support that. First off, do you know why she wasn't wearing thicker road gear?"

Kyle shrugged.

"She doesn't usually, I don't think. Well, I mean, she usually wears a proper jacket, but otherwise, it's kind of give and take."

"Well it would have helped, her jeans tore right through. She has some pretty severe road rash from the side of her abdomen to her knee, two cracked ribs, and more bruised. There is also a fracture on her hipbone, which will cause a great deal of discomfort, but it doesn't look like she'll need any further surgery. Just a lot of careful consideration and rest, and crutches for several weeks. Her right shoulder was dislocated, but we put it back into place; there will be some pain and discomfort for a few days, particularly when it comes to the crutches. Her jacket however saved her skin, and her boots saved her lower leg. Now, that's not to say that her left-side is completely okay - there are many bruises and some minor road rash. Her neck will also be very sore for a few days; her helmet undoubtedly helped a lot, but the angle of impact still affected the muscle greatly. As I said, she is also mildly concussed. It should not have lasting affects however - she'll have a headache for a few days, and possibly be disoriented and confused at times."

Kyle let out a long breath at the end of the explanation.

"When can she come home?"

"It depends on when she wakes up, and her pain levels, but she shouldn't be more than a couple days, at the most. She will need a lot of help, though."

Kyle let out a breathless laugh.

"Great."

"We'll also need you to fill out some information papers. Medical history, insurance forms, general information like that."

Kyle glanced sideways, but accepted the pro-offered clipboard of papers.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Emma did not wake up until almost noon the next day. Jenny had left for her day shift at the bar, and Kyle was typing on his laptop that he had grabbed from the house when he had stopped in.

Not having the energy to speak, Emma simply whimpered, a mixture of pain and fatigue.

Kyle did not notice.

With some pain, Emma reached out her left hand, accidentally hitting a button at the side of the bed. Unbeknown to the pair, a bell was ringing out at the nurses station.

"Ahh, you're awake!"

Kyle jumped at the sudden appearance. Recovering swiftly, his gaze followed the nurse's.

"Em! How you feeling? Wait, stupid question, I know. Are you okay?"

He paused again, wincing at the newer question.

_Stupid,_ he chastised himself. _You're a moron. Of course she isn't okay._

Emma simply blinked, dazed and confused at the whole situation. At one point during her initial examination, her contacts had been removed, and the room was a mesh of blurs and color.

"Waaa-"

Her voice was weak and raspy, throat dry. She coughed, wincing at the accompanying pain. It hurt to breathe very deep, a tightness settled on her chest.

"You were in an accident," the nurse started, as she rattled off the list of injuries. Emma groaned at the predicament, as though wanting to give up.

"My b-" she asked Kyle, as the nurse moved on to check her vitals.

Kyle was nodding, his sullen expression matched his tone. "Beyond smashed."

Emma whimpered, whether from the nurses prodding or her loss it was unclear.

"You won the race though," Kyle stole Jenny's line, attempting make his roommate feel even the slightest bit better.

It was ineffective.

The nurse left the two to themselves, with a short order to page the desk if any problems arose.

"Whe-"

"A couple days. I put in for my vacation time, the doctor said you'd probably need some help for a bit."

Another groan.

"Who-"

"No one yet."

Apparently he had composed a list of questions in his head that he knew she would ask.

"I figure they're all uncertain or still in shock. Or waiting for you to leave."

Emma slumped into the bed, not bothering to voice her other questions.

"Jenny will be by later."

Emma blinked at the ceiling, as though it offered her all the answers in the world. She felt numb, even without the medication she knew she probably still would.

"This sucks," she finally managed, voice slurred slightly.

For once, Kyle did not speak for her.

"Tell me about it."

Emma stared blankly at the ceiling for several more minutes before she blinked tiredly.

"How-"

"About fifteen hours. Maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less."

"Then why-"

"You're drugged. And, even though you've been unconscious, your body has not had a rest yet, you're pretty battered."

She could not even muster enough energy to reply.

"Don't worry about it. Someone will be here when you wake up. Just rest up, so you can get out of here sooner rather than later, yeah?"

Emma graced him with a weak smile, managing to nod just the slightest. She shifted as best she could to get more comfortable, but gave up after a bit, simply leaning back into the bed.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine."

It was the last thing she heard before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Okay, okay... I know it's shorter than normal... and it took entirely too long... and I'm sorry. Very sorry. This year has been very rough for me, and it's just finally starting to settle for a bit, so I'm making the best of what I can right now. I hope to have the next chapter out shortly!


	15. Chapter 13

It was exactly two days later that Emma was being wheeled out of the hospital. Her days in captivity seemed to drag on, as she had ordered Kyle under no circumstances should anyone else be allowed to see her while admitted.

She had always hated hospitals with a passion, and having people visiting would just bring more attention to her situation.

The brunette blinked rapidly, bowing her head to shield herself from the brightness of the sun.

Her eyes were still sensitive to the light, courtesy of the concussion. Removing her glasses, she brushed her eyes with her sleeve, before replacing them. The lenses had already started to tint since the change of surroundings, and they helped tremendously. The sharp pain receded to a dull throbbing as Emma let Kyle help her into the back of Jenny's Pontiac.

Settled into the back seat, Emma watched the nurse wheel the chair back into the hospital. She leaned back tiredly, with a heavy sigh. Even the small commute from her former hospital room to the car park was exhausting. She managed to doze lightly during the short drive from the hospital to the house. Once their destination was reached, however, Emma allowed Kyle to all but carry her into the house, as Jenny followed with a back pack and the crutches.

Heading straight for the living room, Emma was surprised to see that dark, thick drapes had been hung over the array of windows. It gave the normally warm room a dreary look. The couch-bed had been pulled out and made up with Emma's bedding from her room.

"I know you have a bathroom and all, but I figured you'd be better off up here until you get more mobile," Kyle explained. "You can use my bathroom."

Emma fell heavily onto the bed, wincing slightly at the amount of give it had, and also at the jarring of her body. Though more like a trampoline with a mattress pad on top for more comfort, it would do the job for the next several days. The drapes made the room warm, almost stiflingly so. As if cuing into her thoughts, Kyle turned on the small fan next to the window. Even with the hanging, the fan still circulated the fresh air from outside. Propping her head up on her pillow, she studied the room. The remote for the entertainment system was on the end table, and Emma reached for it gratefully.

"Right, well, you should be all set, if you need anything just call. I'm gonna make some lunch."

"I got it," Jenny corrected her boyfriend, as she invited herself next to Emma on the bed. Kyle nodded.

"Thanks."

Jenny returned his smile.

"Anytime."

Emma stared glumly at the selection of day-time TV, before she reluctantly settled on one of MTV's numerous reality shows.

"So when you moving in?" she asked thickly, her tone dry, though not particularly humorous.

"What?"

"You. When you moving in?"

"Why would you assume-"

"You practically live here anyway," Emma deadpanned. The blonde shifted.

"But still."

"Hey, it's cool. No rush right?" the brunette asked, not too interested in the answer. She turned her attention back to the TV, grimacing at the image.

"Why is there never anything on?"

Slightly nervous, Jenny chuckled.

"Because it's eleven o'clock on a Monday morning," she answered, as though it explained everything.

Oddly enough it did.

Emma felt fatigue take over, and she handed the remote to Jenny before settling back into her temporary bed. She was almost comfortably dozing again when Kyle plodded back into the room, balancing three plates and glasses with expert ease.

Emma groaned, rousing herself reluctantly.

"Last time, I promise," he informed his roommate, setting one plate and cup down on the table next to her.

Emma managed to stomach half of the sandwich and the whole glass of juice before she finally was left to sleep.

* * *

She awoke several hours later to the smell of dinner in the oven, and her glasses still on her face. The TV was on, settled on a show she had not seen before. Tilting her head, she studied the box with confusion before clicking it off with the remote.

With the quiet noise gone, her sleep and drug muddled mind picked up conversation in the kitchen. Emma glanced to the door, at just the right angle to see the far wall and nothing else.

With much struggle she managed to get to her feet, grabbing one crutch to position it with her left arm. Ignoring the uncomfortable sting of pain, she set her weight on her left foot, her good leg, and moved the crutch several inches up. Holding herself with both hands on the crutch, she hopped lightly forward, managing to keep her footing.

For the first time in a while, she thanked her dancing background for her increased mobility and balance. Her progress was slow, and it was several minutes later when she stood panting in the doorway of the kitchen.

She blinked in confusion. Jenny was sitting at the table, with Tye at her feet, as Kyle expertly maneuvered around the kitchen. Opening her mouth, Emma tried to announce her presence before the unexpected results of her actions caught up with her.

The pain that her adrenaline had blocked out came back full force, and Emma all but fell into the door frame, as the crutch slipped to the ground, landing with a loud clatter.

"Em! You not supposed to be moving around yet!" Kyle hurried over to her, grabbing her good arm and supporting her weight easily over to the table. He helped Emma sit, who looked to be in as much pain as she was. Jenny took the initiative to put some of the doctor prescribed Vicoden in front of her.

The brunette did not even wait for Kyle to set the glass of water on the table, instead simply downed the pills dry.

"Are you okay?" Jenny asked after a moment.

Still wincing, Emma shrugged marginally with her good shoulder.

"Pain."

Her voice was hoarse.

"Good," Kyle said vindictively. "Maybe next time you'll call out instead. How did you even make it this far?"

Emma did not answer, but simply looked at her roommate with narrowed eyes.

"She's too stubborn to give up after she's started," Jenny said lightly, in a teasing way to ease the tension which had fallen upon the room.

"Still. She's not going to get better if she doesn't listen to the doctors orders. Which you should be doing if you want to get back on your bike in time for the moto."

Realizing he was probably right, Emma did not reply. Thoroughly chastised, she instead studied the table in front of her, still dazed.

_These drugs are crazy,_ she thought idly, feeling lethargic and disoriented. A plate was set in front of her, and she studied the mess of colors.

"Wassit?"

Kyle looked at her, shaking his head.

"Shepherds pie."

Emma's attention turned back to her plate, studying the well mixed mesh of meat, potatoes, and corn. With a hum, her brain had finally made the connection, she clutched the spoon in her hand in a manner similar to that of a toddler learning how to hold cutlery. Dinner was a quiet affair, and drew out entirely too long in Emma's opinion.

When it was finally finished, though, Jenny helped her to the bathroom before back to the couch.

"We need to change your coverings," Jenny informed the girl, before she could settle down fully. Emma sighed, as Kyle came into the room with an armful of gauze and prescribed antiseptic cream. She struggled out of her t-shirt, eventually helped by Jenny, and they slowly worked the current bandages off. There were parts that had dried and stuck to her skin, and removing them was more than uncomfortable as several started bleeding again.

"Shouldn't have waited so long," Jenny said. Kyle nodded his agreement as they ignored Emma's continuous whining at the stinging pain.

The entire right side of her body was riddled with deep, angry red scratches, from her whole arm to down her side, from her lower ribcage to her knee. Her left side was not as impressive, but even the minor road rash hurt the same.

Frustrated at her lack of independence, Emma stood carefully, weight on her left foot, holding her arms up as best as she could - there was a significant difference between her injured and her non-injured shoulders. Squirming at the coldness of the cream, Emma shied away from the touch for a moment, before forcing her body to relax. It took several minutes, but she was patched up again, with her leg being fully wrapped, and able to sit on her makeshift bed. Jenny held her shirt out for her, but Emma ignored it. It was a hot night, and she was even warmer thanks to the bandages. With just a sports bra and a pair of light, cotton shorts, she was comfortable.

"We over compensated with the antibiotic stuff," Kyle informed his roommate. "That way in the morning it won't hurt as much when we have to change them."

Emma nodded faintly, not interested. After a few moments Kyle seemed to pick up on her ill-interest, and took a seat at the end of the bed, turning his attention distractedly to the TV. Before the show was finished, Emma had managed to roll herself onto her stomach - the pressure of her body weight and the mattress acted like a brace for her ribs, and she found that it did not hurt to breathe when she was laying as such. Comfortably warm and well fed, as well as medicated, she easily fell asleep.

* * *

Emma woke up slowly the next morning, the room was surprisingly cool and her blankets offered a comfortable heat, as did the weight half on her back that she knew to be Tye. There was the sounds of muffled movement about the kitchen, and hushed voices, but otherwise the house was silent.

She basked in the moment, reflecting on the peacefulness from the last few days.

The sound of pots being moved around broke her peace, and she reached for her glasses, turning to squint at the cable box.

It was well past 9 in the morning, and she let out a sigh. Turning her head, she managed to free one arm enough to poke Tye, and wake him up. The shaggy dog seemed to study his master for several seconds.

"Get Kyle," she ordered him quietly.

The dog did not budge.

Emma snapped her fingers lightly.

"Move."

The dog rolled to his feet, before jumping off the bed and heading out of the living room. With the weight gone, Emma slowly managed to turn over, shifting for several minutes before she was inclined enough to see around the room without much effort. She closed her eyes at her body's protest of both the strain and the movement.

"Your medication ma'am," Kyle said in a mocking tone, and she reached for her glasses, putting them on before she opened her eyes and saw him holding out the painkillers. She took them gratefully, accepting the glass of water he provided. "Jenny has to work the day shift today, but she told me to tell you that she will be back tonight."

Emma nodded.

"Food?"

"Eggs are cooking," he assured her, pulling back the hangings on one window, to allow some light into the room, before leaving again. Emma looked around for the remote, clicking on the TV once she had found it.

"Dude, you look like shit."

Emma turned to the new voice, seeing Letty for the first time in days. Mia was beside her friend, and gave the bedridden brunette a small wave after giving Letty a half-playful shove.

Emma hummed.

"Didn't brush my hair yet," she replied thickly. The statement was met with a laugh, and when Emma looked back to the doorway, Mia was faced away from the room, with her hand at her mouth as Letty was nodding.

"To say the least."

The Latina invited herself into the room, sitting at the end of the bed as she studied her friend for the first time since the crash.

"Damn, you did a number on yourself, huh?"

"Yeah. Me. Totally."

It was said without contempt, and both guests were left to figure out what she meant.

"So how did you get home?" Mia spoke for the first time.

"Got a ride. In a car."

The painkillers held just enough influence that she reverted easily back to her Boston accent. Due to this, car had become 'kah', but despite the difference, both girls understood her well enough.

"But yours and Kyle's trucks are too big," the other girl continued.

"It was Jenny's."

"Oh, huh."

"Excuse me," Kyle said, sliding easily around the youngest Toretto as he balanced two plates of food and a glass of juice.

"Here you go Em. Letty, Mia, can I get you anything?"

Mia shook her head, but Letty accepted the offer, making herself comfortable for what appeared to be an extended stay. The conversation was easy, steering towards mutual topics as Letty gave the younger girl a general play-by of the past few days.

"So how long before you can loose the crutches?" Letty asked. She and Mia had been informed of the extent of Emma's injuries, but nothing else.

The girl in question shrugged.

"Some weeks. I'll even be able to use them in a few days," she was nodding, as though having decided upon something.

"Mind you she's already tried to use them," Kyle put in his two cents worth from the doorway. The attention turned towards the blonde.

"Hey Em, I gotta run to the restaurant, it shouldn't be too long though, I hope. Just have to go over some paperwork for my two weeks of leave."

Emma was nodding, not particularly minding.

"Hey, could you give me a ride to the store?" Mia asked after a moment, shooting a rueful look towards the room's youngest occupant.

"We took Letty's car, I'm starting to think she's not planning on leaving until later."

The Latina was shaking her head, agreeing fully with the statement.

"Sure, that works out great. Thanks Let."

Letty waived her hand at the lone male.

"Do what you gotta."

It was a few minutes before the pair was left alone, and Emma looked around the room, searching for something to keep them occupied.

"Anything you wanna watch?"

* * *

When Kyle returned, he promptly brought the array of medical goodies into the living room, where he managed to get Letty, with much instruction, to help change the gauze that covered Emma's road rash.

For just a moment, Letty seemed entranced by the multitude of cuts, before she was made to hand Kyle the supplies one at a time when needed.

After several minutes Emma was freshly bandaged and settled on the couch again, as she flipped through the channels. She stopped at one cartoon, snorting at the screen. Letty watched the extremely dysfunctional, animated family in a confused sort of fascination. The audacity of the show soon had her laughing alongside Emma.

"Hey, why do five members of the same family all have different accents?"

"You forgot the dog."

"And the dog," the Latina amended.

"No idea. But no other show gets away with this much stuff. I love it."

With little else to choose from, Family Guy was quickly becoming Emma's new favorite show, and she smartly set several episodes to be recorded by the TV's DV-R for later resources. There seemed to be a marathon on, and the younger girl soon had a pillow pressed to her ribcage as she almost continuously laughed, feeling better than she had in days.

* * *

So, I'm not totally satisfied with this chapter, but I am pretty stoked that I have thought a lot on the story, and know generally where I want to take it for the remainder (still quite a few more chapters yet, so don't get too sad! After all, we haven't even gotten to the good part).

I can say with almost certainty that it is half done, or very near half done, however, so stay tuned, because I've had a lot of motivation to write it out! Hopefully I'll make some quick progress before I leave at the end of next month, because I won't be able to update for a little bit after that point! And uhm, yeah... end ramble. Sorry. I plan to start on the next part immediately, so hopefully I'll have it out soon!


	16. Chapter 14

It was not until the end of the first week when Emma's shoulder felt well enough to use both crutches, and it was not until the beginning of the following week when she had first made it down and up the stairs to her bedroom. Though still crashing on the couch bed, she was able to pick out her own clothes now, and was capable of getting dressed beyond shorts and a t-shirt - which she would usually just steal out of Kyle's closet.

"Are you serious, I can't believe this!"

At the current point in time, she felt very much like torching the mail that was in front of her.

"What's wrong?" Kyle asked, toothbrush in his mouth as he strode into the kitchen.

"I have this fucking notice of violation. I have to go to court!"

Kyle winced, spitting out a mouthful of toothpaste in the kitchen sink before running the water to rinse it.

"Yeah, we sort of had to tell them the circumstances leading up to your crash."

"That I was racing?"

"Yeah. I'm guessing that's your criminal hearing?"

"Criminal?"

The look of panicked shock on her face would have been comical, if in a different situation.

"Look, it's your first offense. And, given the circumstances, I'm almost sure you won't get jail time."

"Jail?"

Kyle sighed.

"I'm sorry. When's it scheduled?"

"Wednesday," Emma said quietly, after checking the paper again. "At eleven."

Kyle noticed immediately his roommate's change in mood.

"Hey, don't worry, you'll be fine."

Emma grunted, doubting the reassurance. Even after Kyle slid one arm around her shoulders, half hugging her, she could not see anything positive that would result in the hearing.

"Sure I will," she said dryly.

"Well, don't worry about it until then. Come on, let's go pick up something for lunch," the blonde said, waiving at the bright, and warm, November day that was waiting outside. "You need to get out and get some fresh air."

Emma could not disagree with him there, and she slowly followed him out to his truck, where Kyle helped her in because the height was still difficult for her.

"What do you even wear to a hearing?"

Kyle shook his head slowly as they headed away from the house.

"Nice clothes."

"Nice like clean?"

"Like what you would wear for a job interview," Kyle explained, before pausing to think of what Emma had worn for her interview at the nightclub. "Okay, maybe not a job interview. An awards banquet. Like back in high school, for the student athletes."

Emma thought back. She had worn jeans and her basketball jersey, as the team had agreed on matching in such fashion. She caught his train of though however, as they pulled up to the Toretto's small establishment.

_Do I even have good clothes like that?_ she wondered to herself, as she managed to get down from the truck without aid, maneuvering easily with the crutches. With a motocross tank top, and a pair of loose denim shorts, she reflected on how nice of a day it was. It was just as nice to get into the shade of the store, however, as the open doors still allowed for a pleasant breeze.

"She lives!"

Emma rolled her eyes at Leon's greeting, sitting on one of the stools as she leaned her crutches against the counter next to her.

"Unfortunately," she muttered, and Leon shot Kyle a worried look.

"Has court on Wednesday," he explained his roommate's mood.

"Damn, Em, that sucks. I'm sorry."

The brunette shrugged, as Mia moved around behind the counter.

"At least I have money to pay for whatever fine they slap on me," she said, referring to what she had won at the race the night of her accident. Though a good portion of it had already gone to her hospital bills, she still had some left.

Leon grinned.

"That's always a good thing."

Emma chuckled, with little humor.

"For sure."

"Here you go," Mia slid a plate across the counter. Emma studied the sub and chips, before looking back to the older girl.

"Thanks."

"Anytime," the taller girl was grinning - the younger girl still ordered the same thing. "Which is it?" she turned her attention to Kyle, knowing that he had several choices that he liked to bounce between.

"Italian looks good," he answered, finally taking a seat as he put a bottle of iced tea in front of Emma. The bandages were off her arms by now, but still on her right side and leg for a few more days. Despite this, the scratches were still visible, though they were no longer in danger of getting infected.

"Em, dude, you look so bad ass right now," Letty informed her dryly a short bit later, as she took a seat next to the girl in question. The grease that complimented her clothes and hands said that she had been hard at work in the garage.

"Hell yeah. Everyone has to see the battle wounds. Gotta get something out of them."

The Latina shook her head, lips quirking slightly with a small grin as Mia laughed outright at the statement.

"There you go," Kyle encouraged the positive line of thought.

"Whatever. I'm just stoked that they changed my medication, Vicoden is so brutal. I can actually function like a normal person now."

"That's always a good thing," Letty agreed.

"Yeah, you'd think so."

* * *

Back in the garage after her brief lunch, Letty looked over the engine that she had finished tweaking that morning. Leaving the hood propped open, she went around to fire up the engine, studying it in idle for several minutes. She noting several improvements, before she let the hood fall down, and climbed in, pulling the small Subaru to the front of the garage.

"Hey Jess, can you give Mrs. Anderson a call and let her know that we're finished on her car?" she called into the office as she returned. The computer whiz gave her an affirmative answer, doing as she asked. "Thanks man."

The slamming of doors drew her attention back to the outside, and she frowned again, spotting a familiar unmarked car. She meet the agents halfway.

"Ms. Ortiz."

Letty ignored the formality.

"Can I help you boys?" she asked, wiping her hands on her grease stained pants.

"There was another incident last night."

"Incident?"

"I'm sure you know what we mean?"

"Actually I don't. What _do _you mean?" she replied, managing to keep her tone even as she acted completely clueless.

"An electronics truck was cleaned out, it was reported just after midnight. The second time in less than a month."

Letty shifted.

"Look, I still don't know anything about it. None of us do."

"Are you sure about that?"

It was clear to Letty that they doubted her word, but with nothing except coincidence, they could not take further action against the mechanic.

"Positive. The garage was open late last night, we were having a showcase of some new designs and decals that our mechanics created. Didn't close up until nearly one in the morning, there are several customers who can vouch for all of us being here."

Letty felt much relief at the validity of the statement. Surely they were off the suspect list now.

"We'll be checking into that. Do you have a list of some of these customers?"

"It was a non-profit gig, but yeah, we got a list of everyone. And the times they were here until. You want names?"

"And numbers if you could."

"No problem."

She did not flinch as she left them outside the office.

"Shit, man where's that sign-up sheet from last night?"

Jesse took his eyes from the computer, looking at the desk. "Somewhere around here."

The pair looked through the assortment of papers, before coming across a clipboard, with a sheet and a half filled with names.

"Make a copy of these, then bring out the originals. Now."

"On it Letty-girl," Jesse agreed as Letty returned to the garage. The blonde quickly did as he was ordered before bringing the two sheets out to his friend only a minute later.

"Here you go."

"Thanks," the Latina said, handing the sheets over to the two officers. "Anything else boys?"

The two detectives shared a look before turning back to her.

"We'll be in contact with you."

"Looking forward to it," she muttered, sarcasm evident.

She did not bid them a good afternoon.

* * *

It was the next day that Emma got her first glimpse of what was once her bike, and she stared at it in a horrified fascination.

"Ohhh baby. I am so sorry," she whimpered, running a hand over the mangled pieces.

Kyle stood at the entrance, rolling his eyes at her melodrama. After moaning and mourning the loss of her bike for nearly twenty minutes, she finally seemed ready to move on with her day. Glumly, she turned her attention back to her trail bike, looking over the modifications that she had made prior to the crash.

"You will be great," she informed the machine. "_We _will be great. I just can't work you out for a bit, but I promise we will practice before the race. We will be ready."

With the reassurance settled, Emma moseyed her way out of the garage.

"Can I swim?"

Kyle nodded.

"The doctor actually said it would be good for you, the chemicals in the water will actually help the cuts, and swimming will help you exercise without putting strain and pressure on your muscles. You still have to take it easy though," he cautioned.

Emma rolled her eyes, but retrieved her swim suit from the house, changing into it and removing her bandages before she headed back outside. As she slowly lowered herself into the water, she gratefully pushed the crutches to the side.

She was gaining a strong dislike for the metal contraptions.

The water was cold, and it took a bit before Emma was comfortable in it. Once she was however, she moved about the pool easily - the movements with her right leg were slow and calculated, and it felt like she was stretching after a long rest.

It was a while before she crawled up the stairs of the pool refreshed, but tired. Reaching for the crutches, it took several moments for her to manage getting to her feet and make her way back into the house, not caring that she was dripping wet.

"Hold it there," Kyle ordered as she opened the door. He quickly retrieved a towel from his room, tossing it to her. Emma was slow to dry off, but once she was done, she hobbled her way to the living room, picking up a large t-shirt that was lying on the bed. She slid it on easily, before returning to the kitchen.

"Why do you have to steal my good ones?" he asked, shifting as the cotton started to absorb water from Emma's swim suit.

"Well, why would I want your bad shirts?" she replied, as she sat down. Kyle rolled his eyes.

"I guess. You should get a shower now, before you dry totally, so that way we can worry about patching you up just once."

Emma rolled her eyes at his mothering, but admitted to herself that he was probably right. She took a short shower, being sure to rinse the chlorinated water out of her hair, before returning to her seat, dressed in clean clothes.

"Actually, I think tomorrow will be the last day we have to worry about the road rash," Kyle said, as he put a bowl of pasta in front of her. She thanked him, as she picked at the meal, waiting for him to settle down. It was earlier than they normally ate dinner, but Emma knew that she would want as much rest as she could get for the trial the next day.

"I don't get it, aren't courts and stuff usually closed for Thanksgiving?"

"Well, they're probably closing early for the holiday, so that's why your trial's in the morning," Kyle voiced his thoughts aloud.

"Why couldn't they just wait until after?"

The blonde rolled his eyes.

"Because, would it really be America if the government allowed you to enjoy the holidays, worry free?"

Emma snorted.

"Good point."

* * *

The next morning was overcast, and dreary though it was not supposed to rain until later in the day. Emma moved around her room, rummaging through drawers and her closet alike. It had taken almost an hour to find a pair of pants that was not jeans, sweats, or night club appropriate. The khakis had been shoved to the back of her closet, and she was almost positive that she had never seen them before - as positive as she was that she would never wear them again.

An appropriate shirt, however, did not appear to be in her luck. With a sigh she changed into what she had, the khakis and underwear, before hobbling up the stairs to raid Kyle's room.

His dress shirts were as ill-fitted as a shirt could be for her, but she came across a collared rugby shirt he had bought in Scotland when he had went as a senior class trip in high school. Long sleeved, it was striped navy and white, and though it was still a bit large on her thin frame, it fit her better than any other shirt he had. She pulled it on before tucking it into her pants the best she could before she fiddled with the collar, making sure it was folded down and flat.

"Em, you're going to be la-" Kyle paused at her outfit. Having known Emma almost her whole life, he had never seen her dressed so formally - which he decided was pathetic, as khakis and a collared shirt were hardly formal. "That's my-"

"Look, I didn't have anything. I'm lucky I even found these pants. Can we just go and get this over with?"

Kyle sighed, but did not give her further grief, simply leading the way out of the house. Emma slipped into a pair of two-toned brown Pumas, before shutting the door behind her. She managed to get into the Chevy by herself - she was getting better at moving around - and she settled in for the short ride further into town.

"What time did you want to eat tomorrow?" Kyle asked, breaking the silence.

Emma shrugged.

"Actually Mia invited us over, she said she usually makes a large dinner anyways, so more people isn't a problem. Even said Jenny could come, they usually eat at about two."

Kyle nodded.

"Great, because I bought nothing. I was planning on winging it."

Emma snorted.

"Wow, good to know you think ahead."

Kyle just grinned as a new silence fell in the truck, one that was much less tense than the starting one. Arriving at the courthouse, it was surprisingly easy to find a parking spot, and Kyle escorted his roommate into the lobby, before taking a seat.

It was the better part of an hour before Emma emerged from the court room. Handcuff and police-escort free, he was happy to note.

"What's up?"

The brunette shook her head, jaw clenched.

"Three months probation, $2200 fine, and 300 hours of community service. Which will be decided by the government. The probation is effective immediately, which includes my license being suspended for the duration, the fine needs to be paid in full by Friday, and the community service starts next week. Since they never actually clocked how fast I was going, they can't charge me for speeding, so the fine is a penalty for public endangerment _and _street racing illegally."

Kyle winced at the punishment, and despite the grim smile, it was clear that the girl was just as upset.

"I hate him," she muttered to herself darkly as they made their way back to the Chevy.

It was then she decided that if she was ever to make a hit list, Ant would be at the very top of it.

* * *

See? I told you. I'm totally motivated right now... and I hope that the next part will be out anywhere near as quick as this one! It's the moment you've all been waiting for (at least I hope so).


	17. Chapter 15A

It seemed the universe was attuned directly to her mood, because as soon as they got back to the house, the rain started. Emma was relieved when she managed to make it inside dry, however.

"I think it's gonna last for a while," Kyle informed her, as he looked out the window and up at the sky. It was a dark gray, and Emma was positive that she heard a roll of thunder in the distance.

"Perfect," she said, with some sarcasm, as she made her way back to her den in the living room. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she leaned the crutches against the wall, before rolling onto her back. She was not sure how long she remained in that position, but the rain and wind had picked up tremendously when Kyle next appeared.

"Hey, Em, I have to head over to Jenny's," he told his roommate. "I called Letty, she should be here soon."

"Now," the Latina said, as the door shut behind her. She shed off the black coat she had worn - it was already soaked.

"Now," he corrected. Emma looked into the kitchen, where Kyle had drawn the shorter woman into a quiet conversation.

"I got it," Letty's voice rose up over the hushed tones, and the blonde nodded.

"I'll be back later tonight."

Emma hummed her response, staring at the ceiling still, hearing the front door close again.

"Okay, Em, you're making _me _depressed right now," her friend said, crossing into the room. Emma spared the other woman a glance.

"Sorry," she replied, her tone flat.

"No problem. We can fix this easy," Letty ignored the lack of energy in her friend's voice. She flicked the light switch, and the light hanging in the middle of the room turned on.

"What do you want to do?"

"Die."

Letty snorted at the response, knowing that Emma was just being dramatic.

"Shut up. What do you want to do?"

Emma sighed.

"I don't care."

"Well, you don't exactly have a lot to choose from," the older woman pointed out the obvious.

With another sigh, Emma managed to sit up.

"I don't know, grab one of the games or something," she nodded into the adjacent room. Letty acquiesced the order, bringing back a handful of options. As she set them all down on the bed, she could not help but to reflect on the difference of how often she had played board games since meeting the younger girl.

Before it had been sparingly, now it was at least a weekly occurrence. Both Bostonians had grown up in very close families, and Letty remembered both of them having described the many game nights they used to have with their parents, and each other.

Without hesitation, Emma plucked _Risk Godstorm _from the top of the pile, and she caught Letty rolling her eyes.

"What, it's the one game that will take the longest. Not like we have to be anywhere."

Letty retrieved a card table from the side room, unfolding the legs as she propped it up. Pulling over one of the cushioned chairs, she helped Emma set up the board and cards before the pair started.

"It's a bit less exciting when there's only two players," Emma admitted a while later. Letty shrugged, before making her move - which resulted in her capturing a piece of Emma's territory. Reinforcing her new post, she let the other girl go.

Emma immediately took back her country, before moving into Letty's territory with a surprising force. Though not finished, the pair eventually grew tired with the game and packed it up, moving onto another. It was not until past nine when they put away all of the games.

"You got anything to eat?"

"There's some pasta from yesterday," Emma said, as she followed Letty into the kitchen. The older woman nodded, knowing the kitchen more than well enough by this point, and a few minutes later two bowls of said food were on opposite sides of the table.

"You seriously have community service on top of probation?"

Emma nodded.

"I've done the math, if I do 25 hours of it a week, I'll be done with it the same time I finish with everything else."

Letty was shaking her head.

"That blows."

Emma nodded, agreeing more than fully with the statement.

"Not to mention I don't have another bike for street racing here."

"Won't your insurance cover it?"

Emma shrugged.

"Not the whole thing. There's a few of my dad's old bikes back home, but that's a solid two day drive, straight through. One way."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"Oh, I know. It just _seriously _blows."

Emma nodded, but did not vocalize her reply. Finishing up, the pair returned to the living room.

"Now what?" Letty asked.

The younger girl shrugged.

"Anything you wanna watch?" she asked, clicking on the TV. A moment later everything in the house flickered once, before going out.

"Or not."

"Go figure, huh?"

A clap of thunder was loud enough, both girls swore the house shook, as the sudden darkness seemed to enhance the sound of the pouring rain against the roof.

"Okay, there's a flashlight in the kitchen, on top of the fridge," Emma said. Letty took the initiative, knowing that the other girl had more of a chance of hurting herself. She found the instrument easily, clicking the button to create a spot light. With the aid, Emma was now able to maneuver around the room, and over to a bench seat that was built into the wall next to the front door. Flipping open the top - it was also a chest of sorts - she pulled out several candles, handing them to Letty who had followed her over.

"Lets see," she muttered to herself. "How about we put one in each the bathroom, Kyle's room, and the kitchen. That way we don't have to worry about running into anything."

She grabbed the box of matches that were next to the rest of the candles - Kyle was manically prepared for any natural disaster he could think ahead for. Lighting all three of the large, scented candles, Letty moved out of the room, putting one on the counter in the bathroom, one on the dresser next to the door of Kyle's room, and one on the kitchen table. When she returned to the living room, she was unsurprised to see three candles already set up - a large one with three wicks on top of the entertainment system which lit the room surprisingly well, a much smaller one on the card table, and another on the side table.

"Almost like we have a light on," Letty commented. Emma had also retrieved the deck of cards, and was making sure to mix them well.

"You played Speed before?"

"I think when I was younger."

Emma nodded, as Letty sat down on the bed - it was not necessary for a table with this game. Clearing a spot, she set up twelve cards between the two: a stack of five, two stacks of one, and another stack of five, before splitting the remaining deck evenly.

"You ready?"

Both she and Letty had one middle card, and with a nod, they flipped them over at the same time. They managed to make it two rounds of the game before Emma's cell vibrated.

"Yeah?"

"Hey, we lose power?"

"Yep."

"Damn. Jenny did too...and there's almost no visibility, it's coming down so hard."

"Yep."

She could almost see him rolling his eyes.

"Look, I'm not going to get home, okay?"

"That's what I figured."

"Will you be okay?"

"Kyle, I'm not mental or anything. Letty's keeping me company, I'll be _fine_."

"You sure?"

Instead of answering his question, she hung up the phone, proving her point.

"Roads suck. Kyle's crashing at Jenny's."

"Then I have no chance," Letty said, referring to the differences in vehicles. The Chevy was by far more designed to handle the elements as opposed to her much smaller Nissan.

"Oh, you wanna leave, just like that? Now who's making who depressed?"

Letty laughed at her friend, pushing the girl easily.

"Hey, don't start with me."

Emma rolled her eyes, but dealt the cards again. After going down the list of every card game they could think of, however, they gave up, both growing frustrated with the lack of entertainment. Tye was stretched out next to them on the bed, snoring slightly. Almost subconsciously Emma started running her hands through the dog's shaggy coat as Letty fell into describing the scene the previous day in the garage.

"Sounds like their case just crumbled there."

"I hope they see it that way."

"This has just been a pretty shitty month, hasn't it?" the younger girl asked, waving her hand. Letty nodded her agreement, as Emma reached for the cup of water she had gotten shortly ago. Taking a sip, she replaced the glass, but Letty grabbed her arm before she could retract it fully.

The older woman's grip was light, but sure, as she twisted Emma's hand to be palm up. The wavering light caught her arm at such an angle that each cut cast small shadows onto the rest of her unmarred skin.

"How's it feel?"

Emma blinked as the shorter woman leaned forward, studying.

"Uhm, alright. Still a bit sensitive, but not too irritating."

Still holding her wrist, Letty traced her fingers down Emma's forearm, feeling the array of bumps with a mild sort of fascination.

"Sucked, didn't it?"

Emma nodded.

"Oh yeah. I'm glad the worst of it's over."

Letty smirked the slightest bit, not doubting the other girl for a moment. She had been in enough car accidents to know that road-rash was not pleasant, no matter how mild or severe. At the continued silence, Letty glanced up, pausing at how close she had moved to the other girl without realizing it. Emma was studying her, her gaze almost blank but for the curiosity it contained.

"Sorry," she said, releasing her hand. Emma did not respond, and after a moment Letty noticed that she had not taken her arm back, either. The orange glow of the candle made Emma's normally bright blue eyes more of a murky green, a color that was oddly appealing.

_Aww shit, _she thought, instinctively knowing that she was done for. The few inches between them closed, and when she thought back, Letty was not sure which of them had moved first. She was sure of, however, the catch in her throat when their lips met, and though she had not thought about it before that moment, she was very unsurprised at how soft and warm Emma's were against her's.

It was hesitant, and brief, but when both pulled back slightly, Letty struggled to straighten her thoughts, hyper-aware of their proximity.

Neither woman spoke as their eyes held the other in place, close enough that their breaths were shared, but unmoving. If it had been another time, Letty would be overjoyed at rendering the younger girl speechless. Instead, she found herself unsure, and all kinds of confused.

The silence stretched. As per usual, it was Emma who eventually broke it.

"I-" she paused, blinking. "I-it's... getting late."

She said it slow, as though she were guessing at the obvious fact. As the spell broke, Letty looked away quickly.

"Yeah..." she breathed, shifting away from Emma. "Long day tomorrow."

It was tradition that Letty helped Mia prepare the dinner - they usually started by nine in the morning, and it was nearly one.

Letty could not decide if she was relieved or disappointed at the blatant avoidance of talking about the kiss. As she moved away, she carefully considered a decent distance between herself and Emma, before she leaned back, on top of the covers to contrast the bartender's near desire to drown in them.

She glanced sideways, to where Emma had positioned herself on her stomach, facing away from the Latina. Letty looked back to the ceiling, studying the flickering light the candle cast on it.

It was a long while later before either girl, both unknown to the other, fell asleep.

* * *

With the abundance of rain went the humidity, and as a result, the next morning was dry and chilly, the first signs of the colder weather that was sure to follow. It was the door shutting which woke both girls. The power was still out, but sometime in the early morning, the candles had burned down until they were extinguished.

"Hey Em, when are you two heading over?" Kyle asked, stopping at the door. He had let Tye outside, and Jenny had opted to watch him for a few minutes.

The girl in question pulled the blanket up over her head, as Letty sat up, her naturally thick hair was almost wild at the tossing and turning from the previous night.

"Shit."

It was past nine, and Letty nearly fell off the bed in her panic. Emma sat up, studying the room in a drowsy confusion.

"What'd you say?"

"I just asked when you were leaving."

Noticing the time, Emma sighed.

"Twenty minutes ago," she muttered, getting to her feet. She did not seem to notice that she had not changed from the khakis and polo from the previous day, simply made her way to the kitchen as quick as she could. Letty was absent, in Kyle's bathroom if the commotion was anything to go by. Pulling her hair back in a messy bun, Emma slipped on a hooded sweatshirt as she balanced without the aid of the crutches.

"Be there for twelve," Letty ordered the blonde, making her way out of the house. Emma greeted Jenny, who was on her way in, before following as quick as she could, getting into Letty's car with less effort than was required with the Chevy. The drive to the Toretto house was silent, uncomfortably so as neither woman knew what to say. As soon as they arrived, Letty hurried into the house, and Emma rolled her eyes as the sounds of apologies reached her ears as she neared the door.

"Seriously Mia, no alarm. I'm so sorry."

"It's fine Letty," but the other girl's tone suggested she had some contempt. She seemed to shrug it off easily, however, especially when Emma let herself in.

"Another set of hands. Good. Get started on these potatoes."

Emma studied the nicely cubed, freshly boiled potato pieces.

"Come on. Mash them up," Mia ordered, putting butter, grated cheese, and garlic powder on the table as well.

The Bostonian accepted the tool, before sitting at the table. She worked in silence, comforted at her companions' noise as they bickered, teased, and chatted their way through preparing the food. She was unsurprised when Letty had to chase any of the boys out of the kitchen once they were awake, and when Kyle and Jenny arrived promptly at 11:45, both offered to help.

"I think we're all set here, actually. Just have to let everything finish cooking and we'll be good," Mia dismissed them. Taking it as her cue, Emma hobbled out of the kitchen as well, leaving the childhood friends to finish with the food.

"You okay?" Jenny offered quietly, once Emma took a seat.

"Huh?"

"You seem out of it."

"Oh... yeah, I'm fine. Just tired."

"You look nice, by the way," the blonde added, and Emma could not discern if Jenny was teasing her or not.

"Court yesterday," she dismissed the confusion. "Got lazy."

The blonde nodded. That certainly made more sense. Mia and Letty joined the group shortly later while everyone waited for the food to finish cooking. It was Jesse who eventually drew the brunette into a conversation, and for the first time of the day, Emma relaxed enough to enjoy the warm, amicable atmosphere in the house.

* * *

Okayyyyy... I am totally [and I'm sure] obviously, NOT a romantic type of person. So I'm sorry ahead of time... well actually, behind time now, but still. I had to put on some like... sappy love song to make it through (and by 'sappy' I mean _Somewhere Out There_ by Our Lady Peace, but still). And it was just the first kiss! I am very romantically _bashful_, and I hate it. The music was a surprisingly good motivator, and I'm sure that I'll choose a different song, next time... but, gawsh, the things I do for y'all. Next up, Thanksgiving, part two! I've only just started it, so hopefully I can get it written and out shortly.


	18. Chapter 15B

I am back! Erratically back, that is. Unfortunately. The new school I am at is very academically challenging, so I don't imagine I will have as much time to dedicate to writing as I did before... but that's okay. Cause at least I can write at all, right? Hopefully you find this worth your while!

* * *

Emma had moved to lounge across one of the armchairs, taking up as much space as she could. Dinner seemed to be forever cooking, smelling amazing, she admitted, and the chatter was still going. She watched the room lazily, too comfortable to do much more than that. The lack of rest from the previous night left her in a fatigued state of being.

Her eyes roamed the room, stopping at each of the occupants in passing. Jesse was still beside her, long since given up on a two-sided conversation. He rattled on and on about his newest project – a previously junked, decades old Monte Carlo, which he was slowly restoring himself. Despite not really being a part of the conversation, the younger boy's excitement was contagious, and she felt herself smile as he continually got more animated.

"Food's ready."

The response to Mia's declaration was instantaneous, as a wave of people headed towards the seldom-used inside dining room. As per her mood, Emma's movement was sluggish, and as she trailed the rest of the group, there was one seat left, between Jesse and Letty. With a barely audible sigh, she headed towards it, sparing a half-grin of the older woman when she looked at her. Letty returned her sentiments before turning to the table, which Mia had already laid out.

"Mia, girl, this looks amazing."

Letty's comment was echoed, as people started to pass around the different dishes.

Once everyone had food, and Grace was said, they all started to eat.

"Tastes amazing, too," Kyle complimented, as he took a fork-full of food.

Emma rolled her eyes at her roommate, but agreed nonetheless. The conversation included everyone, as topic ranged from past holidays, to cars, and everything in between. The dinner was drawn out, nearly two hours before thoughts of dessert were even suggested.

"Oh God, Em, remember when your dad blew up the oven?"

Finally being drawn, rather forcibly, into a conversation, Emma groaned.

"How can I forget? He managed to get the microwave too. That was a horrible week."

Kyle laughed, but ignored her misery.

"We still don't know what he did. He would never tell us. But, damn, if that door didn't fly right off its hinges."

"Almost took out that stupid cat, too," Emma agreed. The cat had been an evil thing, and when he finally died of old age, Emma couldn't have been happier.

"Gizmo," Kyle explained, echoing Emma's thoughts. "The spawn of Satan himself."

As the topic changed once again, Emma fell back into her pensive silence. It was broken several minutes later by Mia, who returned from the kitchen.

"Okay, so of course, what's Thanksgiving without pie? We have pumpkin and pecan. There's also apple crisp," she added, with a pointed look at Jesse, who was childishly bouncing in his seat.

"And ice cream?"

"Of course. French vanilla," she lightly scolded the boy, as if insulted that he had to ask about tradition. The playful glint in her dark eyes was more than enough to assure him otherwise.

"Well, let's get started on it!" Vince said for the group. The idea was seconded several times, as the meal carried on.

After everyone was finally finished eating, and the table and food had been taken care of, the group was once again in the living room. The board games lay forgotten as Vince got the remote, flipping through the channels before settling on the game.

"It's just not Thanksgiving without some football, huh, Le?"

Leon returned the grin, nodding his agreement. With a light sigh, Emma shook her head.

"I hate football," she quietly admitted to Jesse, who was watching the TV with ill-concealed boredom.

"I know how you feel."

Emma had no doubt in the honesty of his words. His tone said it all. With a grin, they shared a glance.

"Wanna check out my baby?"

_Of course. The car again_.

Nevertheless she agreed, getting to her feet with the aid of the crutches before she followed Jesse out the back door and to the garage. The car was an unpolished gray, with several spots of rust along its metal shell. Jesse didn't seem to mind, however, as he opened the driver's side, popping the hood.

"All the mechanical work is pretty much done -" he picked off where he had left off before dinner. "Still have some wires and hoses to connect, but after that, just some TLC. Revamp the interior, patch up the exterior. I'm totally getting a new radio and sound system. I have _all_ the bases covered."

"Okay, I know I'm not a big car person," Emma started. "But this is seriously awesome," she added with utmost sincerity. Jesse's pleased grin was enough to make her smile. He was the only person in LA that she knew who was younger than her, and it was nice, acting the older sibling for once.

_I wonder if this is how Kyle feels around me_.

She didn't think too hard on the subject as Jesse retrieved his sketches from the glove box. Drawn out, in full color, were several different paint and interior designs he was considering. For the next hour they debated over the many different choices, and Emma once again felt like herself.

* * *

Since the accident, it was not unusual for Emma to be absent from the races. Only Kyle knew that she had originally planned on going as a spectator. Naturally when he got back from his shift at the restaurant, and his roommate was sitting on the counter in the garage, staring blankly at her dirt bike, he correctly figured something was amiss.

"Em? What's up?"

"Hmm?"

The brunette didn't move her gaze from the bike, and Kyle was certain that the question did not even register.

"Weren't you going to the races tonight? And the after party? Jenny said everyone's been eager to see you actually in the club. Not just stopping by for a few minutes during the day."

Emma blinked, studying her childhood friend. The blonde looked concerned for her.

"Hello, Space Cadet, this is Houston. Over."

"I'm thinking," the blue eyed girl finally spoke words. "Shut up, you're interrupting that."

"Okay, seriously. What's wrong? You've been out of it since... Thanksgiving. You've been a zombie for the last three days."

"Just thinking-"

Her tone was once again distracted, as her attention turned back to the bike.

"Well figure it out, okay? Because, and I will deny this later, it's boring when you don't argue. Or talk. Or even seem to exist as a multi-celled organism, capable of complex thoughts and actions."

Biting her lower lip, Emma turned back to him.

"Give me a lift."

"What?"

"Las Noches. Take me there. Now."

Kyle gave her an incredulous look.

"Excuse me?"

Emma rolled her eyes.

"Please drive me to the establishment of which I am employed."

With one eyebrow quirked, Kyle sighed.

"Get in."

"Thanks," Emma grumbled as she hobbled past him. Getting to the door, she carelessly tossed the crutches in the bed of the truck before hoisting herself into it.

Pulling up to the main door, Kyle dropped the girl off before pulling around to the back of the establishment, parking where the Jeep normally resided.

Up on the street, Emma crutched her way up to the main door, blocked off from the side by rope. After an enthusiastic greeting by both bouncers, the girl was allowed into the club, ignoring the line of waiting customers.

"Oh my God. Do my eyes deceive me?"

Caden's voice was easy to recognize through the speakers.

"Yo, it looks like my girl is back! Finally! This one is for you Em."

The teen ended his dedication with a laugh, and the brunette had to wonder how he spotted her so quickly, even as the loud beat blared from the speakers, base cranked to the max. She paused, eyes scanning the club for Letty. People were giving her strange looks, but whether because of the song or her appearance, she was not sure. She had not changed out of her basketball shorts and graphic-t, paired with sports flip flops, her hair was down, curled as natural but with a certain amount of wildness, due to not having been brushed that day.

Finally her eyes found the object of her thoughts, as she zoned in totally on the older woman. Ignoring people's greetings, she made her way, with surprising agility, through the crowd. As she approached the table that the Latina was sitting on, she barely spared a glance to Leon when he greeted her. The song was at a bridge, the singer's voice echoing around the club.

"Em?"

Letty seemed surprised, and the younger woman swallowed hard. Her mouth was dry as her heart thumped.

"Are you okay?"

Tightening her lips, Emma shook her head.

"I'm in trouble Let," she said, finally finding her voice. _So much trouble. And I don't know how to get out of it. _At her tone, the other woman was instantly alert, her relaxed posture becoming rigid as she sat straighter, leaning forward slightly with worry.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

Emma fumbled on what to say before stopping. Swallowing again, she shook her head, resting the crutches on the back of a chair before she took a painful step forward, setting herself right in front of Letty. Her hands came up to hold either side of the racer's face, surprisingly gentle as she pulled her in.

"Wha-"

Letty's question died at her mouth, and her confusion intensified as Emma brought their lips together. If not for the music continuing on, either girl would have thought that time stood still for a moment.

_Oh yeah. I'm screwed, _Emma thought, figuring she had lost her mind. She might have been more inclined to care, if not for the almost intoxicating sensation that was flooding her, giving her a boost of energy. When Letty still had not responded, however, she pulled back reluctantly, studying the older woman. Letty was slow to open her eyes, looking at Emma with unconcealed shock.

_Not how I imagined this in my head_.

Biting the inside of her cheek, Emma did the only thing she could think of.

"Well, now that that's taken care of, I'm just gonna..." she didn't complete the sentence, but instead nodded, retrieving her crutches and making her way surprisingly fast across the club, to the exit. She brushed past Kyle on the way out, causing him to turn around.

"Em, what the hell?"

"We can go. I'm done."

"That fast? What on earth did you do?"

He received a short laugh, as Emma did not stop.

"Oh you know, worked my magic. Destroyed everything in a matter of seconds. On the upside, we can be sure I still have the infamous Morgan charms."

She was surprisingly calm, but just figured that any possible repercussion of her actions had not quite sunk in yet. Kyle watched as she made her way down the perilously steep drive that lead to the employee car park.

"Em!"

Kyle turned to the commotion at the door.

"Letty?"

"Where is she?"

Kyle pointed down the dark alley, where Emma had just disappeared around the far corner. Letty jogged past.

"Give us a few minutes."

Her unspoken threat was understood clearly. As she quickly followed his roommate, Kyle threw his hands into the air, with a huff of exasperation.

_Why do I _never_ know what's going on?_

_

* * *

_

It wasn't common for Letty to be left speechless, but Emma was amazingly good at it, she was quickly realizing. Her mind was blank as she stared at the air in front of her.

"What the fuck just happened?"

Leon looked even more shocked than she felt, which was quite an accomplishment at that particular moment.

"I have no idea."

Another moment. Blinking, Letty shook her head, brow furrowing.

"She just-"

"Yeah," her tone matched his, as she slid off the table.

"Where are you going?"

She ignored him as she moved through the crowd as fast as she could, just shy of running.

"Em?"

Unintentionally, she ignored Tyson's greeting as her feet hit the sidewalk. She looked either way, ignoring the long line of people waiting to get in as she studied the street. Rather gratefully, she spied Kyle at the corner of the building.

"Letty?"

"Where is she?"

He pointed down the narrow alleyway.

"Give us a few minutes," she ordered, as she hurried past him, jogging down the same path Emma had mere moments before.

A single bulb lit the employee doorway, but that was the only source of light. Given it was one level down from the streets, and surrounded in many large buildings, the car park was eerily dark, but Letty's eyes adjusted quickly. Emma was at the far side of Kyle's truck, leaning her forehead against the window with her eyes closed.

"Finally. Unlock it."

When Letty didn't respond, Emma looked up, blinking at Kyle's absence.

"Why?"

Anything Emma could think to say caught in her throat. Perhaps realizing this, though more likely not, Letty made her way around the truck before stopping within reaching distance of her friend.

"Why did you just..." she hesitated.

"It was the only way."

Emma would not meet her eyes.

"The only way to what?"

The biker was shaking her head.

"I dunno. Show you how I feel, or something," as if that broke the dam, Emma continued, her tone rising. "Look, Let, I'm confused as hell. But I like you. A lot. And right now, that's almost all I'm sure about."

If she had looked up, she might have seen the odd look that crossed Letty's face at the revelation. But she didn't. There was an awkward silence that fell between them.

"Wow. You sure know how to lay it all down on someone, don't you?"

Emma's shoulders fell.

"I guess. Look, we can just forget about it right? We can go back to normal? Because I just don't know what I would do if-"

Maybe she had more alcohol than she thought, but for whatever reason, Letty took one last step, effectively invading the rambling girl's personal space. Emma looked up in surprise.

"I know you've heard this before, but you talk _way_ too much."

"What's that supposed to mean-"

For the second time in less than ten minutes, the pair was mutually silenced as this time Letty cut her off, hands settling at Emma's waist as their lips met. The younger girl hesitated for only a moment before the situation dawned. Almost cautiously she moved forward, surprising Letty until the smaller woman's back was to the truck. Emma's hands were once again lightly cupping either side of Letty's face as she deepened the kiss.

To her immense joy, Letty accepted the advance readily, as they got lost in each other's unique taste. When they finally broke apart, Letty's heart was racing, and she figured that Emma wasn't fairing any better. However the small, pleased grin on the brunette's face did wonders for the remaining confusion.

_I think I could do this_, she realized, with a start.

"What does this mean?"

"Whatever you want it to," Emma replied. She paused. "No, that's a lie. Because there are a couple of things that I'm pretty sure I don't want-"

Letty's slight squeeze at the others side silenced her most effectively.

"I don't know what I want," Letty admitted. "I'm _more_ confused than you, I'm pretty sure. But maybe..."

"We could give it a try?"

Brown met blue, as Letty studied the candid emotions in Emma's eyes. The younger girl was probably one of the most expressive people she knew, and most people could read her like a book, including Letty.

"Yeah."

The decision was surprisingly appealing to both women.


End file.
